Waiting
by TMBlue
Summary: The war is over... and now Ron waits.
1. As Long As it Takes

**Waiting**

_A/N - Make sure you pay close attention to the dates at the beginning of each new section. It's very important to note when each section takes place in order to properly understand the time line of the story. It jumps around a lot, so it would be really confusing without those dates. Also, note that this is not a one shot. This is a chapter story that will continue in several parts until I feel like it's finished, so don't be sad if a chapter ends on a depressing note. Things will progress as new chapters are added. I've written about half of it so far, but I'm actively working on it and will update as often as I can! Thanks and enjoy!___

__**Chapter 1 - As Long As It Takes  
**_**  
June 29, 1998**_

I am waiting because I told you that I would. Well, maybe I didn't say it out loud, but you knew didn't you? Didn't you?

Maybe that's not really why I'm waiting at all. I don't have any other choice, do I? You are everything. When did you become the center of my life? No, not only the center of it... everything around the center too. All of it.

When did you know that you would be saying goodbye? Was it hard for you? Was it as hard as it was for me? Then why did you leave? If you had a choice, why did you choose the one thing that would destroy me?

Fifty-six days. It isn't so long, Harry says. But what does Harry know? And what happens when fifty-six turns to five hundred and six? I can't bare to think of numbers so huge, so lonely.

What was it that you said when you first told us? I don't want to remember the exact words you spoke. I'd rather remember the feeling. But I do remember those words, like it or not, exactly as you spoke them.

_"I'm sorry. I don't want to go..."_

I remember exactly. After all, what's fifty-six days? I remember every word you ever spoke to me. Well, maybe that's a bit romantic. But you know I always tried.

Two thousand, four hundred and sixty-six days. That's how long I've known you. And still, I remember the very first words you ever spoke to me...

_"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one... Oh! Are you doing magic? Let's see it then."_

And now, years later, here I am. My heart dropped to my feet when I knew it was real, that you were leaving after all, that it wasn't a joke. And the question on my mind when you told me you didn't want to leave me...

_"...I don't want to go..."_

_"Then why are you doing this?"_

You asked me to try to understand, begged me to. And I said nothing.

But here I am, waiting. I'll wait for you, Hermione. I'll wait until there's nothing left to wait for. Will you come home different? Will you have grown apart from me? Is that my worst fear or would it be worse for you to never return at all? Just to see you, to hear your voice... I think I'd be glad just to get a glimpse of you from far away rather than to never see your face again. But I know that I will. This is not the way you planned it. It was not goodbye forever. And you never change your mind, you never stray from the plan. But things can change. They always can.

Are you waiting for me too? I never considered that you might not be. But now that I think of it, you never said that you would be. Will you return and find me here how you left me, waiting, and pretend not to notice? Will it be sad and sorry that I'm still here and that I'm not ever going anywhere else until you direct me, until you lead me there?

I've counted every day of my life, separating the ones that I've lived without you and the ones that we've shared. How many more days until I wake up and find you here again where you belong?

But it doesn't matter. I have promised you. I'm waiting because I don't want to stop. I'm waiting because you are all that I want. I don't care how long it takes. I will never stop waiting. If you should return and tell me that there is no point... but even then I'll keep waiting, hoping, dreaming... because without you there is no purpose, no logic. I'm sick of hiding from you, sick of being afraid of what you might find out. Because I've spent years pretending that every part of me doesn't belong to you. But it does. So come home and everything will be alright. Come home and I'll make things change, I'll do what I should have done years ago.

I'm waiting. I'm waiting for you so that you will know exactly how I feel. You'll know when I first see you coming home, when I run to you and tell you that I've waited so long... And then there will be nothing left to wait for.  
_**  
May 4, 1998**_

__"Hermione!"

"Over here, Ron," Hermione called from somewhere up ahead.

Ron continued forward and stopped when he reached the first open door on his left. He peered inside and caught sight of her brushing her robes off in the front, her eyes turned down.

"What's up?" he asked, concerned when she allowed her hair to fall around her face, effectively hiding her expression from his view.

"N-nothing," Hermione sighed, shaking slightly as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and finally straightened up to look at him. She had clearly been hoping that her former tears would no longer show signs of having ever been present. But Ron spotted her reddened eyes and cheeks easily and knew she had been crying.

"Nothing?" he questioned as he stepped into the room closer to her.

"We should hurry," she said as she set her eyes on the open door behind Ron, ignoring him as he approached her. "The train will be leaving soon."

"Hermione..." but he could tell that she had already decided that she had nothing she wanted to say to him, and he felt a wave of disappointment cross through him when he realized that she had closed off to him and was not planning on changing her mind. She walked past him to the door.

"Coming?" she called back into the room as she went ahead into the corridor. Ron jogged slightly to catch up to her, ready to start a fight with her if she wasn't willing to talk. But he would not get that chance...

Ginny strode up to them, her eyes also somewhat bloodshot. Ron noticed Harry standing down the corridor a bit waiting as Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their way down to meet him.

The walk out to the carriages was silent, the four of them lost in their own thoughts. And then they were riding down the slightly bumpy path out the front gates towards Hogsmeade station.

After everything they had been through, all Ron wanted now was to be with Hermione. He had been putting off talking to her about everything since the war had ended mere days ago. But after she had kissed him in the Room of Requirement, he felt that it was finally going to be alright, that he had to make the next move and tell her how he felt about her. He wasn't planning on spending any more time away from her, and he wanted to make sure that she knew that.

They boarded the train, and Ron took the opportunity to speak when a thought crossed his mind.

"You don't suppose Prefects will be meeting today, do you?"

Hermione stared at Ron looking a little tired.

"I mean to say, we're Prefects, even if we weren't here, right? So should we go and help?"

At his words, Ron could have sworn he saw something cross Hermione's face, something he had seen once or twice before, but most notably in the Room of Requirement seconds before she had jumped on him...

He swallowed, his stomach flipping over lightly, and he wished more than he had wished almost anything before in his life that Harry was not currently in the compartment with them.

"Oh, Ron, I don't think we need to. Everyone's just trying to get home to their families now. They don't need us."

"Right," Ron said, nodding slightly as he sat down opposite Harry.

He would not have even guessed that Hermione would sit anywhere except beside him on the bench so he scooted over away from the window so she could have the window seat, but then, to his shock and horror, she sat on Harry's side away from the window. He stared at her, a sick feeling rising in his stomach. Was it possible that she regretted kissing him at all? Why had it taken them this long to discuss it? They had been distracted, helping everyone clean up the castle and bury the dead. Ron had lost a brother, and Hermione had been there to comfort him, but there wasn't time for anything else, for them to really talk. Now that they were going home, he was anxious to get her alone so he could find out exactly what she was thinking. He was having a much more difficult time now trying to figure that out than he had ever had before.

The train ride was quite tense and awkward, and finally, Ron could no longer stand it. Hermione had fallen asleep and Harry kept throwing Ron strange glances like he could read his mind.

"What?" Ron asked Harry somewhat defensively after a long, particularly strange glance thrown his way by Harry.

"Nothing," Harry whispered, glancing at Hermione.

"You keep... I dunno. Making faces..." Ron said.

"Making faces?" Harry asked, scratching his ear and glancing at Hermione's sleeping form again.

"Come on," Ron demanded suddenly, and he left the compartment.

Harry followed, and as soon as the compartment door slid shut, Ron took a breath and began.

"Do you know what's going on with her? Because she doesn't seem to want to talk to me. I thought about starting a fight with her just to get her to say something to me!"

"Ron-"

"Then she sat on your side in there and... did I do something wrong? Apparently I'm pretty thick when it comes to her so it wouldn't surprise me, but I don't remember doing anything daft so you'll just have to tell me if you think I did something..."

"Ron," Harry tried again, and this time Ron paused. "I don't really know how to tell you this..."

Ron swallowed hard. Whatever Harry had to say, it was certainly not good news.

"What?" Ron asked fearfully.

But the compartment door opened and Hermione peered out at them.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked them, puzzled.

"Talking," Ron answered shortly. "You were sleeping."

"Ron," she said in a small voice. "You didn't do anything wrong. Maybe you two should come back inside now."

"You heard-" Ron began, his face heating up. But Harry started into the compartment after Hermione, so Ron followed them in and shut the door again.

Hermione started to pace, wringing her hands together as she did when she was contemplating a very difficult decision. Ron's heartbeat quickened as he waited, hoping that she'd soon stop pacing and start talking. She finally did.

"Ron... I don't know how to..." She let out a strangled sound and resumed pacing.

Ron noticed suddenly that the train was slowing down. They were almost at King's Cross.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed as she noticed the same thing. She moved frantically to the window and stared out, her eyes watering.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Ron demanded as the train rolled slowly into the station.

"No! We can't be there yet!" Hermione shouted, shaking her watch.

"You slept a long time," Ron said.

"Then why didn't you wake me?!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Because you didn't ask me to! I can't read your mind, Hermione!" Ron bellowed back.

"No, no, no..." she muttered, wringing her hands again as the train finally stopped.

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Ron demanded furiously.

"Please..." Hermione begged as students began to file out of the train.

"Harry?" Ron questioned, suddenly remembering that Harry had been about to tell him something outside that he was sure was not going to be good before they had been interrupted by Hermione. If Hermione wasn't going to get on with telling him, maybe Harry would.

But Harry wouldn't meet Ron's eyes. Hermione whipped her head around to stare at Harry, shocked.

"Harry! You know?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, "but I overheard you asking Ginny what to do. I don't really know everything I suppose, but I think I know what you're upset over."

"Will someone, please, for the love of Merlin, tell me what the hell is happening?!" Ron shouted, his face red.

But Ginny appeared in the hallway outside the compartment and Harry went to open the door when she smiled in at them, oblivious to their conversation.

"Sorry," Ginny said as the door slid open. "I thought I'd be able to get away at least for part of the trip. Everyone wanted to talk. And we don't know if any of us will be able to return next year if they can't fix the school in time."

Harry nodded, but said nothing. Ginny suddenly seemed to feel the tension in the compartment.

"Sorry to interrupt, but everyone else is already off the train. We'd better go quickly..."

"Yeah," Harry said, looking back at Ron and Hermione where they stood, both red faced, behind him.

Ron suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his robe and bag, and exited the compartment with a rough shove past Harry and Ginny.

"What's gotten into him?" Ginny asked, looking from Harry to Hermione and back again before seeming to come to a realization about something. "Okay," she said nodding slightly as she gave Hermione a sympathetic smile. Hermione passed by suppressing tears, and Ginny and Harry followed her off the train and onto the platform.

Ron stood a good distance away from the train. He had found a fairly clear area to stand and watch as Hermione, Harry and Ginny exited the train. He breathed heavily as he stared in their direction. He watched as Hermione scanned the crowd, and he only realized that she had been looking for him when her eyes landed on his and she walked purposefully toward him. Harry followed and Ginny parted ways with them, throwing Ron a sad glance as she turned away.

"There's no time left now," Hermione started as Harry stopped a few feet behind them, "I didn't want to tell you like this."

"Hermione, please, just tell me already," Ron begged, his anger subsiding at the look on her face. Her eyes were wet with tears and her cheeks were flushed. She wouldn't look at him directly.

"Ron, I... I'm going away," she said and Ron felt his heart stop. He hadn't expected this. Not at all.

"What? What are you on about?"

"I got an offer from the Ministry and... they want me to work with foreign countries... with relations after the war..."

"Wait, what do you mean going away? For how long?" Ron said, his chest beginning to constrict. He could hardly hear what she was saying to him...

"Ron, I _have _to leave... they're sending me away. I'll be going to several different countries with a team. I have to leave right away... tonight... I don't know how long. Maybe... maybe a year or... or two. I speak French so they want me to-"

"Don't go."

"Ron..."

"Don't do it, Hermione!"

"Ron, please try to understand. This is a really big opportunity for me!"

"But what about us?" Ron asked suddenly, more forcefully than he had intended. A heavy silence surrounded them at Ron's words. Harry uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other and looked down at the ground in front of him, trying not to be noticed.

"Me and... and Harry," Ron added lamely, trying to cover his tracks, his cheeks turning pink.

"Ron, please understand..." Hermione looked down now too, tears beginning to spill out of her eyes.

Finally, after a long moment, she looked up again.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to go..."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I-I've told you..." Hermione whispered.

"So that's it." Ron swallowed thickly and tried very hard not to think about what this meant. He felt his chest tightening more with every second and his ears began to throb, but he was not going to cry, not here on the platform, not in front of _them_...

"I have to go..."

Ron nodded but said nothing.

"I'm sorry," Hermione sobbed.

But Ron silently stared off past Hermione, his eyes unfocused and his heart pounding furiously.

"Please," Hermione whispered, stepping closer to him, closer, closer... "forgive me." And then she was mere inches from him, but he would not allow himself to look down at her.

Before he had a chance to realize what she was about to do, she had dropped her bag and was kissing him. He kissed her back and closed his eyes instinctively, and when he did, tears that he had been holding forcefully back, trickled down his cheeks.

When she parted her lips from his again, he felt sudden empty and cold, and without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him, burying his face in her hair. He felt her shaking, felt the skin of his right forearm getting wetter and wetter as she cried silently against him. And then he spotted his parents, slowly coming towards them from across the platform. He pulled back from her and dropped his arms to his sides. He turned away from everyone as his parents came closer and attempted to discreetly wipe the tears from his face.

"Everyone ready?" Mrs. Weasley asked when she reached them. Ron turned to his mother and attempted a half-smile.

"Let's go," he said before stepping forward between Harry and Hermione to follow his parents off the platform.

He heard Hermione's muffled sob as she covered her face with her hands. But he did not turn back around to look at her. He couldn't.


	2. Better or Not

**Chapter 2 - Better... or Not  
**  
_**August 1, 1998**_

__"Morning, Ron." Ginny's smiling face peered over the top of her juice glass as Ron sat down opposite her. He didn't reply, but she was rather used to that.

They ate in silence and went outside to the back porch. The sun shone brightly on the water ahead and Ron had to squint to look forward.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked just as the wind picked up, his words becoming lost in the sound.

"What?" Ginny asked, raising her hand to her eyes to look over at him. But Ron spotted Harry jogging down the beach towards the cabin just then and he shook his head at Ginny. He didn't need an answer anymore. She stared at him curiously as Harry approached them carrying several large bags.

"Just been shopping," Harry said as he dropped one of the bags on the porch. "Snacks," he said, then went inside. Ron sighed.

"What?" Ginny asked as she reached into the bag. Ron shook his head again and looked back out at the water. "Ron, what?" Ginny demanded this time.

"Nothing... nothing."

"If you want to say something-"

"I don't," he cut in rather roughly.

"You're starting to bug me a little," Ginny said as she opened a packet of biscuits.

"Then go in," Ron said softly, his eyes squinted almost closed as he stared straight ahead.

"Why should I have to go in?" Ginny asked in a defensive tone. "What's the matter with you?"

Ron snapped, standing so quickly that his chair rocked on its back legs.

"What's the matter with me?!" he roared. "Are you joking?! You must be..."

Ginny dropped the biscuits on the chair beside her and glared up at her brother.

"I'm sick of you and Harry walking around me like I'll break if you say the wrong thing," Ron continued. "I'm sick of both of you taking her side on everything!"

"You're the one who can't get over it and just move on!" Ginny shouted, her face turning red.

"Move on? What are you on about? Move on to what?!"

Harry moved into the doorway and peered cautiously out at where Ron stood towering over Ginny on the back porch. Ginny stood from her chair roughly, her hair blowing around her in the breeze.

"Move on to anything but this, Ron. This is mental."

"What do you want me to get over, Ginny? One moment you act like I'm someone to pity and the next moment you tell me I've gone mad. Which is it?"

"I don't know, Ron, but you've been moping around for... how long has it been now? Months."

"She left us, Ginny. She left _me_. That was her choice. She could have stayed. She could have..."

"That's totally unfair!" Ginny shouted, her eyes narrowing.

"Why?" Ron glared at Ginny, begging her to even try to answer.

"Because it was important to her, you prat!"

"Exactly!" Ron's voice raised again, so loud in fact that Harry was forced to glance around at the nearby cabins to make sure no one around them had been disturbed.

"What are you trying to say, Ron? Whatever it is, just bloody say it already! That's the whole problem, isn't it. You never say what you really mean!" Ginny shoved her hair out of her face but didn't move from her spot right in front of Ron.

Ron, for the moment, was silent as he stared down at his sister.

"Did you ever even tell her how you felt about her? Did she even have a clue before she left? Because I don't think she did."

"Piss off, Ginny."

"That's what I thought..." Ginny turned just a fraction towards the door, but Ron wouldn't let her leave so easily.

"Do you think that would have been fair for me to say to her on the day she was leaving? I couldn't do it."

"Yeah, doubt you ever will either..." and Ginny headed for the door.

"Go on! She did the right thing, isn't that it?" Ron called after her. "She could never love someone like me anyway. I'm a git and she deserves better. After all, who am I really? Harry's stupid friend, right? Just a poor coward who can't tell her-"

But Ginny whipped back around to face Ron, interrupting him.

"No, Ron. But if that's what you think, then maybe you'll make it true."

"It's not what I think..." Ron said, his voice lower now. "Not all of it at least."

"She does love you, you know. I have no idea why, but she does."

"How do you know that?" Ron asked, his eyes widening. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I just do."

"Did she tell you something?"

"No, Ron, but it's obvious, isn't it."

"No. It's not." Ron's shoulders moved as he breathed heavily.

"You know, I don't think Hermione-" Ron flinched at her name "-did anything wrong when she left. But I do think you need to grow up and stop sulking about it, start at least trying to feel better."

Ginny paused for a brief second, but Ron said nothing else, so she went inside. He turned his back towards the door and stared out at the ocean again, his eyes prickling.

_**  
May 4, 1998**_

__There was a Ministry car waiting in the parking lot at King's Cross to take everyone back to the Burrow. Harry was coming home with the Weasleys for a while until Ron and Harry both found work. They had already decided to apply to the Auror program soon. They wanted a short holiday, time to play Quidditch in the field and take a much needed rest. Then they'd apply and cross their fingers.

Ron got to the car second, right after his father, leaving Harry and Hermione walking a good distance behind him. He knew that Hermione was upset, and he couldn't bring himself to look at her. He was angry, but that particular feeling was far outweighed by his devastation. He wondered suddenly how soon she would really be leaving. She had said 'right away' but what did that mean exactly? He closed his eyes briefly when he reached the car. He had to pull himself together for the ride. There was no way around it - it was going to be uncomfortable. But he couldn't let his feelings show so obviously with his parents right there in the front seat.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley called out over Ron's shoulder. "What time is your Portkey?"

Ron felt his chest constricting again when he heard her voice close behind him.

"6," she answered in a hoarse voice.

"Right, then we can all just stay in London for a bit. That makes more sense than driving back home only to return later. You could floo of course if you'd rather us not go with you..."

"No, no, that's fine," Hermione answered quickly, clearing her throat.

Ron had to hold his breath to keep from saying something mean... something like "I think she should floo by herself. I don't particularly feel like hanging around with her for the next few hours." It wouldn't have been true, but that was the sort of thing he was always saying. He knew he never meant it, but he could never really stop himself from saying things like that. On this occasion, however, somehow he managed.

He climbed into the car, eager to get as close to the widow as possible. He really didn't feel like piling into the car with everyone right now, but what choice did he have? To his disappointment (and, if he was really being honest, relief), Hermione filed into the car right after him so that she was sitting directly to his right. He looked out the window, trying not to glance over at her even when he felt her eyes on him.

The ride was completely silent for the first few minutes, until Mr. Weasley started down a rather busy looking street and sighed.

"Well, we could always drive a little further out of the city. All these damn cars everywhere. We'll get no where in a hurry without... well, helping the car along a bit."

Mrs. Weasley gave him a slightly disapproving look but said nothing so he took the opportunity to jump the car forward a good distance, unbeknownst to nearby Muggles. Finally they were outside the city limits and heading for... it looked like a large field. Ron peered out the window as they passed great expanses of open grass, great places for a Quidditch game...

"There's a pub out here somewhere, if I can just remember..."

After another fifteen minutes with no sign of the fabled 'pub', Ron sighed and ventured his first glance in Hermione's direction. His heart melted at the sight of her. She was staring down at her hands where they were folded in her lap. Even through her hair he could see tear tracks on her cheek. Her face was pale with red blotches around her eyes and nose. He couldn't take it any longer.

"Cold?" he asked her in a soft voice. Hermione's head snapped up at the sound of his voice and she glanced at him, shocked that he was now speaking to her.

Ron raised his eyebrows, clearly trying to tell her something without words. She stared at him for a moment, confused. After all, it wasn't really cold at all in the car. Ron nodded very slightly after a second and Hermione looked away. Ron could only hope that she had understood what he wanted her to do and would go along with it.

"I... guess so," she replied, still sounding and looking quite confused.

"Here," Ron said suddenly, reaching down into his bag at his feet and pulling out his biggest robe. He draped it over his lap and hers as well. Hermione still seemed confused, but she sniffed and smiled very slightly at him.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

Then Ron did something incredibly brave, one of the bravest things he had done, he thought (at least concerning Hermione). He slowly inched his right hand over towards her, found her hand under the robe, and laced his fingers through hers. He held his breath for a second, then Hermione tightened her grip on his hand, a look of comprehension on her face now at Ron's actions. Ron breathed again.

"Ah, here we are!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley suddenly, pulling off the road onto a dirt road that would hardly have been noticed if Mr. Weasley hadn't just turned down it. After a rather bumpy few minutes down the road, a small and somewhat run down building emerged from the woods.

"Are you sure this is it?" Ginny asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yep," Mr. Weasley answered as he stopped the car with a jolt. "Everyone out! And trust me, it doesn't look like much, but they have a very good ale here that I'd highly recommend." He smiled at Mrs. Weasley and they got out of the car. Ginny opened the door on her side and started to climb out. As Harry followed her, Ron reluctantly let go of Hermione's hand and pushed his robe back into his bag before climbing out on his own side of the car.

Dinner was mostly quiet, everyone seemed a bit out of sorts, like getting back into the routine of not being afraid for their lives at all times was a difficult thing to do. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley asked Hermione a few questions about the job she was taking abroad and she answered shortly but politely. Ron tried not to pay attention. He'd much rather just go on pretending like she wasn't leaving at all. But all too quickly it was quarter past five and Mr. Weasley stood from the table.

"Right, so we can all floo from here to the Ministry to see you off, Hermione. The pub owner has already told me we can use his floo. Then we'll all just floo back here and drive home. Alright?"

Hermione nodded, looking quite nervous all of a sudden.

"We'd better be off then," Mr. Weasley added as Mrs. Weasley stood from the table as well. "Come along. I'll go through first, then Hermione, you'd better come straightaway behind me. Then the rest of you can fight over the floo..."

Ginny and Harry both chuckled slightly as they followed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to the floo. Ron lagged behind, waiting for Hermione to stand up first.

Mr. Weasley and Hermione went in quick succession through the floo, and without thinking twice, Ron reached for the floo powder, not even announcing that he was going next. No one objected. He was through the network in a few seconds.

Harry came out quickly behind him, followed by Ginny, then Mrs. Weasley, but Ron was hardly paying attention to their arrivals. He stood a few feet away from Hermione, feeling anxious and nervous, not sure what he should do or say now, but knowing that he only had a short time left to figure that out.

Mr. Weasley led the way to the elevator, and suddenly they were standing in a large office. Ron could hardly remember getting there. His mind was elsewhere.

A conversation took place at a desk in front of Ron. His father and Hermione stood side by side talking to someone who looked rather official, but Ron's heart was pounding so loud in his own ears that he couldn't have heard them if he had wanted to. He followed his father and Hermione down a long corridor in a daze. He stomach was churning and he felt like he might be sick. He noticed Harry throwing odd glances his way and wondered if his face had turned completely green...

Finally, they reached a large open space at the end of the hall. The only door sat closed opposite the hallway entrance. People stood around saying their goodbyes in quiet voices and in their own secluded spots in the large space.

"This is it," Mr. Weasley announced. "I suppose these people are the rest of your team? I expect they'll all be going through there to catch the Portkey together."

"Yes, I think so," Hermione said, but she made no move towards the door just yet.

"You'll be gone a year at least, is that right, Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking surprisingly distraught.

"Yes, definitely a year. Probably... probably more..." Hermione looked away from them, her eyes glassy.

"Your Portkey is in there?" Ginny asked, gesturing towards the door.

Hermione nodded again but said nothing.

"How much time do you have?" Harry asked, shaking his watch. "My watch must have stopped. It's definitely not quarter past 1."

For a brief moment, Ron felt his chest lighten hopefully. It could be early. Someone could have gotten the time wrong. Maybe Harry's watch was right and everyone else's-

"No, definitely not," Mr. Weasley said, looking down at his own watch. "It's quarter to 6."

"I'd better... go inside," Hermione said weakly and Mr. Weasley nodded, then reached forward and hugged her. She hugged him back tightly.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Weasley," Hermione choked out, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Of course. We're all really going to miss you, Hermione. Be safe and write if you can."

Hermione pulled back from Mr. Weasley's hug and looked up at him sadly.

"I won't be able to. They've already told me..."

"What?!" Ron exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widening.

Hermione wouldn't look at him.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you," Ron said desperately.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat and stepped away.

"Right, come on everybody, say your goodbyes now."

Mrs. Weasley stepped up next and hugged Hermione tightly.

"We're going to miss you, dear. Just be safe and take care. Make sure to come right on back to the Burrow when you get home so we know you're alright."

"Of course," Hermione said, her voice cracking.

Harry stepped up next and hugged her. She closed her eyes as she hugged him back.

"I'm really going to miss you," Harry said.

"You too, Harry," Hermione whispered, her voice failing her more with each second.

"Nothing's going to be right without you around," Harry added.

Hermione smiled slightly as she parted from Harry.

"It won't be so long..." she said, but she was clearly only trying to convince herself.

"Sure..." Harry said sarcastically. "Be careful. We'll be waiting for you to come back."

Hermione nodded as Ginny stepped up.

"I know everyone has already said it, but be careful and take care. We'll all really miss you... blah, blah, blah..." Ginny smiled at Hermione as she stepped back from her. Hermione smiled back at Ginny and chuckled nervously at Ginny's joke.

"Come on you lot," Mrs. Weasley instructed suddenly, noticing the tension that remained between Ron and Hermione and wanting to give them a moment alone before Hermione left.

Everyone called "goodbye" to Hermione as they disappeared down the corridor and she waved vaguely, attempting a smile. And then they were alone...

"What do you mean you won't be able to write?" Ron began, his voice eerily steady. "Why not?" It was like he was simply asking someone for the facts of a situation, but was completely detached from the answers.

"They just said we wouldn't. We'll be traveling a lot and it isn't safe to tell anyone where we will be. No one will be able to reach us."

"Not safe?" A hint of concern in his voice... "What exactly are you doing that's not safe?"

"Nothing really, but there are still people out there who aren't very happy about Voldemort's death."

Ron nodded. A heavy silence sat between them and Hermione looked down at her feet.

"Hermione," Ron began, his voice pleading now, all of his emotions suddenly present in that one word. Hermione flinched at the sound of desperation she heard in his voice. "What can I do to make you stay?"

"Ron..." she sobbed quietly.

Ron closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

"Look," he began, stepping forward, his voice strengthening and growing even more desperate by the second. "Would it make any difference if I told you..." but he trailed off.

"If you told me what, Ron?" Hermione asked in a tiny voice, finally looking up at him and meeting his eyes. He stared into her eyes for a long moment, completely lost in her. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her... not right now. It wasn't right. She'd go... and then what? He couldn't leave her with something like that to weigh her down all year. If she wanted him when she came home, he'd still be right here. He always would be. He couldn't imagine his life without her and he didn't ever want to. And now that she was leaving... He closed his eyes again.

His eyes popped back open at the sound of the door to the Portkey room opening with a bit of a bang. A small man with gray hair appeared in the doorway.

"Ms. Granger?" he said.

Hermione nodded vaguely.

"Your Portkey leaves in about a minute. Please come inside now."

"Mr. Norris?" the man called out, scanning the group, his eyes landing on a young man of about twenty who stood a few yards away with his family.

The man crossed the room calling out names and confirming that everyone was present. People began to file into the small room beyond the now open door.

As the last few people made their way into the small room, Hermione looked up at Ron, trying to meet his eyes, begging him to understand, to not make it any harder for her than it already was. But he wanted to make it hard for her. He wanted to make it so hard that she wouldn't be able to go at all. But somehow, in the back of his mind, a small voice moved forward, telling him to walk away, to let her go because this was what she wanted. He wanted her to be happy. He'd do anything to make sure that she was. And this... this was her choice, not his.

But she suddenly threw herself at him and held on so tight he thought he'd suffocate. His arms clamped tightly around her automatically and he realized how tightly he was squeezing her too when she let out a small squeak.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he released her.

She wiped at her eyes and shook her head. Her hands were shaking.

"Ms. Granger!" came the little man's voice again. She was the only one left outside the Portkey room. "You have ten seconds! Come quickly!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she met Ron's eyes with a frantic sort of intensity. And then she had disappeared into the room. Ron stepped forward so he could see her, but the man shut the door with a bang. Ron could still hear the man ushering everyone to the table, telling them to hold on... and then he heard it. A muffled swoosh, then nothing. Silence. They were gone.

Tears formed instantly at the corners of Ron's eyes and without thinking, he slammed his fist into the wall next to the door. He felt many pairs of eyes on him as parents and friends of those who had just left stared over to see what all the commotion was. Ron turned around finally and glared forward, not meeting any of their eyes as he fled from the room, his hands clenched in tight fists at his sides, his knuckles throbbing.


	3. Cast Off

**Chapter 3 - Cast Off**  
_**  
May 4, 1998**_

Ron said nothing to anyone when he met back up with his family and Harry after saying goodbye to Hermione. He caught his mom glancing worriedly at his hand, and he shoved it quickly into his pocket. He wondered vaguely if he was bleeding...

On the car ride home, Ron was aware of conversations taking place around him, but he ignored any attempts made by anyone to include him. He noticed that Harry seemed to be leaving him to it more than his parents and Ginny were, and he was thankful for it.

When they finally reached the Burrow, he went straight up to his room and closed the door. Standing there in his room for the first time in... how long had it been? 9 months? 10?... he allowed the cold silence of the room to engulf him. His eyes burned, and now, alone with his grief, he dropped to the floor in front of his door and sobbed.

*******************************************************

Ron awoke in a heap at the foot of his bed, his face pressed against the cold wood floor. As he opened his eyes, he could see the light from the landing outside his door through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor. He wondered what time it was, how long he had been lying there on the floor. It was completely dark in his room.

He pulled himself to his feet and checked the time on his bedside table. Nearly 9. Just as he was about to change out of his clothes, he heard a very light knock on his door.

"Yeah?" he called, his voice so hoarse he didn't think the person on the other side would even be able to hear. But they had.

"Can I come in?" Harry.

"Yeah."

Harry opened the door and stepped into the dark room, then shut the door behind him again. They stood facing one another for a few silence seconds before Harry spoke again.

"I'm not going to ask if you're alright," Harry said softly. Ron nodded.

"Thanks."

The tension between them eased at their exchanged words and Ron sat on the edge of his bed. Harry joined him.

"Why didn't she say something about this sooner?" Ron asked in a scratchy voice after a moment.

"I don't know..." Harry answered truthfully with a slight sigh. "Maybe she had really just found out the day we left. That's when I heard her talking to Ginny about it."

"But all the way on the train!" Ron shouted abruptly.

"Yeah..." Harry looked down at his lap, clearly feeling very sorry for Ron. Sure Harry would miss her. She was one of his two best friends, and over the years, the three of them had grown to depend on one another and to need each other. But for Ron... it was different.

"I can't do it, Harry..." Ron breathed.

Harry didn't know what to say. He just stared forward, thinking.

"I can't be here right now."

"In your room?" Harry asked.

"Anywhere she's been with me."

Harry's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing. Ron sighed.

"I don't know what to do now. I feel so lost."

Harry scrunched up his forehead, thinking hard about something. Finally...

"Okay, I have an idea."

"What?" Ron asked halfheartedly.

"Let's go on holiday."

"Holiday?" Ron turned to Harry, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. Me, you, and Ginny. We can go somewhere none of us have ever been before. Maybe it'll help get your mind off things."

Ron pondered this suggestion for a moment.

"That actually sounds like a really good idea. We should talk to Ginny."

"Yeah," Harry stood from the bed. "We can go find her and ask her now. I think she's in her room."

So they went down to Ginny's room and Harry told her the plan while Ron stood silently beside him.

"What do you think?" Harry said when he'd finished explaining.

"It's a great idea. And it will be really nice to get away for a bit. Mum and Dad will be sad for us to go, but they'll understand. When should we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Ron said. Ginny and Harry turned towards him. He hadn't spoken since entering the room.

"Okay, Ron," Ginny said, giving him a sympathetic smile that he had to look away from.

"And I don't want to tell anyone where we're going," Ron added.

"Why not?" Ginny asked, puzzled.

"We'll just go, somewhere far away, maybe by the ocean. We don't have to know where we'll end up. We can just... find somewhere to be."

Ginny nodded, understanding for the most part how Ron must be feeling.

"Okay, we can pack tonight and tell Mum and Dad in the morning," Ginny said. She looked to Harry and he nodded as well.

"Let's do it," he said.

They all parted ways and began to pack. Ron lit a candle by his bed but he didn't want much light to fill his room. If he didn't have to look around, if he didn't have to be overly aware of where he was, maybe he could forget he was here at all... here without Hermione.

_**August 1, 1998**_

__A soft and salty breeze blew in through the open windows of the cabin. Ron walked barefoot down the hallway until he reached the door to Ginny's room. It stood cracked open, so he didn't bother to knock. He pushed the door slightly forward and stood in the doorway as it slowly creaked open.

"Yes?" Ginny called from her bed. She couldn't see Ron from where she was. He entered the room slowly, looking down at his feet.

"Hey, Gin."

"What is it?" Ginny asked somewhat irritably.

"Can I sit down?" Ron asked, gesturing slightly towards a wicker chair that sat right next to Ginny's bed.

"Go on," Ginny said with a soft sigh.

"Where's Harry?"

"He fell asleep on the couch reading a Quidditch magazine," Ginny said with a slight smile. Ron nodded.

"Look, Ginny," Ron began as he sat. "I just wanted to... to apologize. I'm really sorry about what I said this afternoon. I didn't mean it."

Ginny nodded slightly against her pillow.

"It's alright, Ron," she said softly.

"I'm not angry with her. I'm not sure what got into me."

"You aren't?" Ginny asked skeptically. She raised her eyebrows at Ron, a small grin threatening the corners of her mouth.

"No," Ron began, but he couldn't help grinning slightly as well. "Not angry exactly."

"Ah," Ginny said as she adjusted her head on her pillow.

"I'm really not. I understand why she did it."

The room grew silent and Ron stared forward, clearly lost in thought.

Ginny sat up very slightly in her bed after a moment and stared forward out the window.

"It's really beautiful here, isn't it. Quite different from back home."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, but he was obviously distracted.

"Look," Ginny started, looking over at Ron. "It's going to be fine. Hermione's-" Ron flinched "-going to come back... and Ron, would you _quit _flinching!"

"Sorry," Ron mumbled as he scratched the back of his neck. "Can't help it."

"This really is bad, isn't it. I mean, you're really mental about her."

Ron shrugged but didn't look over at his sister.

"Come here," she said suddenly. She sat up further against the headboard and scooted over in the bed, leaving a large space to her left for Ron to join her. He gave her a slightly puzzled and amused, but slightly disgusted, look.

"Why?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Ron, just get in the bed."

Ron obeyed, climbing clumsily next to Ginny and leaning back against her headboard.

"Tell me what you're going to do when she comes home," Ginny said.

Ron smiled slightly but looked forward out the window.

"What for?" he asked.

"You ask too many questions," Ginny said with a smirk.

"Okay, fine," Ron said, grinning now. He bit his lip, thinking. Then finally, "well, I reckon I'll have to have a talk with her."

"That sounds like a good first move," Ginny agreed, nodding.

"Yeah, yeah," Ron rolled his eyes.

"So what are you going to say exactly?" Ginny could see Ron's cheeks turning pink even in the dark room.

"Dunno..." he mumbled.

"Come on, Ron, you must have some idea..."

"Well..." Ron bit his lip. "Why do you want to know anyway?" he asked suddenly, looking over at his sister with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Ron." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to cheer you up. I'm not trying to make fun of you. Honest."

Ron thought about this for a moment before softening his eyes and turning back to face the widow in front of the bed.

"Well..." he started again. "I... I reckon I'll just... you know... tell her that I fancy her."

"Ron..." Ginny chuckled.

"Hey!" Ron turned to his sister again, his eyes narrowed once more. "You said no making fun!"

"Okay, alright! Sorry... it's just that," Ginny shrugged. "I mean come _on_, Ron. You _fancy _her? _Really_?"

"Well, yeah," Ron furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Ginny laughed and shook her head.

"Honestly, Ron, you don't _just _fancy her."

Ron blushed and looked away.

"Oh, I see what you mean," he mumbled.

Ginny said nothing for a moment, waiting to see if Ron was going to continue. Finally, he did.

"Okay. I guess I'll... I'll tell her that... I'm in love with her," Ron sighed, rolling his eyes. "Are you satisfied with that or should I try again?"

"Oh, no," Ginny smirked. "I think that will do."

"Bloody hell, what do you _really _think she's going to say, Gin?" Ron brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes anxiously, sighing again.

"Oh, Ron!" Ginny gasped suddenly, clapping her hand to her chest and widening her eyes exaggeratedly. "I can't believe it! You really _love _me?! This is the best day of my _life_!" Ginny threw herself onto Ron, hugging him tightly around the shoulders.

"Gerroff, Gin!" Ron shoved her aside. "Very funny!"

"You just wait and see," Ginny said, still grinning. "You'll be sorry you waited so long to tell her."

Ron smiled slightly but tried to hide it by looking down at his lap.

"You really think so?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes. Definitely." She smiled at Ron as he turned his head to look at her. He smiled back at her.

He turned back to face the window again after a moment.

"Thanks," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Any time." Ginny paused for a second before... "Ron?"

"Hm?"

"We've been gone a long time."

"Mmm."

"Don't you think it's time for us to go home?"

"Home?" Ron leaned his head back further against the headboard.

"Yeah..." Ginny trailed off.

Ron didn't answer right away, and the silence dragged on for so long that Ginny wondered if he had forgotten the question or even fallen asleep. But finally...

"I can't."

"Ron, we've been gone for-"

"Nearly three months, I know," Ron said, cutting her off.

"Then why-"

"I just can't. Not yet."

Ginny nodded and looked out the window again.

"If you and Harry want to go, you know you can. I'll be fine," Ron said. But Ginny shook her head.

"We're not leaving you."

"But that's not fair," Ron argued, looking over at his sister seriously. "You shouldn't have to stick around just because of me."

"It's not like that," Ginny said, trying to convince him. "Don't worry. If we get _really _sick of you, we'll take off."

Ron chuckled and glanced back out the window again. After a moment, he stood from the bed, stretching.

"Well, g'night, Ginny."

"Night, Ron. And don't forget what I said about Hermione." Ron flinched slightly at her name but tried to hide it. "She's going to be so glad to see you when she comes home. Just wait and see."

Ron nodded uncertainly before leaving the room.

Ginny settled back down into her bed feeling very sorry for her brother and hoping desperately that something, even a small thing, would come of their next visit to the Ministry. Ron had been there three times already in the hope that someone had word from Hermione. Even just to hear that she was alright, that someone had seen her recently or knew that she was safe... that was all Ron really needed. And so far, nothing of the sort had come from their visits. _Please, let this be the time,_ Ginny thought. Ron was sure to visit the Ministry again soon. It had been nearly a month since their last check in.

_Maybe this time... just maybe,_ Ginny thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Dim Irony

**Chapter 4 - Dim Irony**

_**May 5, 1998**_

__"Be safe," Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes watery as she hugged Ron, then Ginny, then Harry.

"We will," Ron said, hoisting his bag further up onto his shoulder.

Mrs. Weasley sighed, and Mr. Weasley patted her gently on the back.

"Mum," Ron began. "Please try to understand."

"I do, dear. I know why you're doing this."

Ron looked away from his mother's knowing gaze.

"It does concern us that you aren't going to tell us where you're all off to." She shook her head slightly. "But we do understand why you're going. How long do you think you'll be away?"

"Dunno," Ron admitted. "I reckon for at least a month or two. It's time for a holiday anyway after the last few years. I don't feel like any of us have really had a proper one in a long time."

Harry nodded.

"Alright then, but please be safe," Mrs. Weasley said again.

"We will, Mum," Ron said with a chuckle as he, Ginny and Harry made for the front door. They reached the garden before Disapparating, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waving after them from the front porch.

*******************************************************

"Wow. Yeah, I think this should do," Harry called to Ginny and Ron from where he stood on the back porch of the airy beach side cabin they had just arrived in. They were miles and miles from The Burrow now, even London was quite a good distance away.

Ron came through the back door followed closely by Ginny. Their eyes widened simultaneously.

"Blimey," Ron said.

"Great view!" exclaimed Ginny as she stepped up to the railing.

"Yeah, this will do alright," said Ron. "But this must cost a fortune..."

"Nope," Harry said, shaking his head and smiling. "I don't think the bloke who's renting this is going to charge us a thing actually."

"Why not?" Ron asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That would be completely mad of him."

"Yeah, well, after he saw who we were, he reduced the price to... well, zero."

"Really?" Ron asked incredulously as he looked around at the cabin in awe. "I had no idea that doing a lot of really reckless things and almost getting yourself killed for nearly seven straight years would have _this _sort of benefit."

Harry chuckled.

"Get used to it. You're famous now."

Ron shook his head.

"Mental," he said through a grin.

_**May 7, 1998**_

__Somewhere in France, Hermione sat on the edge of a bed in an inn, staring at a photograph of Harry, Ron and herself, taken a few years ago by someone in Gryffindor. The three of them stood in the Common Room waving at the camera, all of them smiling.

Hermione felt her eyes watering for what had to be the third of fourth time that afternoon. She flipped the picture over quickly, stuffing it under the edge of the blanket she was sitting on.

"Stop it," she said aloud to herself, shaking her head. "You're acting stupid."

She wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. She had a meeting in a few minutes that she didn't feel very prepared for. She hadn't been able to concentrate all day. From the moment she had touched the Portkey in that little room at the Ministry, she had felt regret... desperate regret that she wasn't sure how to cope with. She had wanted this, hadn't she? This was the right thing for her... a great opportunity... but no matter how many times she told herself that, it just wouldn't stick.

She shook her head again and stood from the bed, trying to hold her head up. _It's going to be fine_, she thought to herself as she crossed the room to the mirror and attempted to straighten her unruly hair. _It's only been three days. You'll get used to it._ But she didn't want to get used to it... she didn't want to get used to being without Ron... and Harry. Yes, Harry too. But Ron...

She felt her eyes prickling again and squeezed them shut, allowing several tears to run freely down her cheeks. She opened her eyes again quickly.

"Stop it!" she told her reflection fiercely as she wiped at her cheeks again. But as she stood in front of the mirror composing herself for her meeting, an awful thought crossed her mind. She shook her head defiantly.

"No," she said aloud. "Just forget it." But she couldn't. Now that she had thought it, it wouldn't go away... _What if things were different when she came home? What if her friends had changed? A year... or more... is a very long time..._

_What if Ron finds someone else?_

She let out a strangled sob. She didn't want this. It seemed so utterly unimportant to be here all of a sudden. What had she been thinking? She couldn't do it...

_But what choice do I have now,_ she asked herself as she tucked her books and notes into her bag and headed for the door…

*******************************************************

Hermione couldn't concentrate on anything that was being discussed in the meeting. Several times she was addressed directly and had to quickly cover for her lack of attention to what had just been said. By the end of the meeting, her heart was pounding. Something had changed in her. It was like a fog had been lifted from her mind, and she could think of nothing else. She had to talk to Mr. Quinn, the leader of the team she had come here with only three days ago. She approached him the moment the meeting had concluded and people had begun to disperse.

"Mr. Quinn?" she said in a small voice.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?" he said, but he was distracted with clearing away materials from the meeting.

"I need to speak with you."

"Can it wait a bit, Ms. Granger? I'm sorry, but I need to get this room cleared."

The last few people had left the room, and Hermione now found herself standing alone with Mr. Quinn.

"No, Sir," she said bravely. "I'm sorry, but it can't wait."

Mr. Quinn paused and looked at her now, his expression somewhat concerned and curious, but a little put out as well.

"Go on," he said.

"Mr. Quinn, I'm so sorry... I..." Hermione felt her eyes watering again and held her breath for a moment to keep from crying.

"What is it, Ms. Granger?" Mr. Quinn asked, concerned, but growing slightly impatient.

"I can't stay," Hermione blurted suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Quinn stared at her, confused. "What do you mean you can't stay?"

"I just can't stay here any more. I need to... to go home."

"Home? As in to England?" Mr. Quinn furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"I've made a mistake. I'm very sorry, and I-"

"You're saying that you plan to leave us?" Mr. Quinn asked.

"Yes, and I really am sorry, but I have to go, and right away."

"Is there some kind of emergency back home?" Mr. Quinn asked seriously.

"Not exactly," Hermione answered, looking away from Mr. Quinn, slightly embarrassed. "But... I've just left someone... that I don't think I can... I can't spend a year without..." she trailed off.

"Ms. Granger, excuse me for saying so, but perhaps you're just a bit homesick. It will pass. We have all chosen to come here to help, knowing what it means and how long we'll be gone..."

"I know, Sir, and I don't want to cause any trouble for anyone, but I just can't do it. I've made up my mind. I'm sorry. I know this won't look great on my resume, but..." Hermione shrugged slightly. "This is more important."

Mr. Quinn regarded her for a second, thinking about what she was saying, clearly wondering what else he could say to convince her not to leave the team. She was a valuable asset that he did not want to lose.

"Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want to do?"

Hermione nodded. Mr. Quinn sighed.

"Well, I can't stop you, but I think you should seriously consider what you are saying..."

"I have," Hermione said firmly. "I want to return to England as soon as possible."

"Well..." Mr. Quinn sighed again. "Alright. I'll talk to someone at the Ministry here and see when they can arrange a Portkey for you to return home."

"Thank you so much, Sir. I'm so sorry to make trouble for you."

"Not at all. I'm not happy about losing a good team member, but if this is what you have to do then I suppose I can't stop you."

"Thank you," Hermione said again before turning to leave.

"I'll send word up to your room once I've spoken to the French Minister," Mr. Quinn added before Hermione left. She nodded at Mr. Quinn and disappeared out the door, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth for the first time in three days...  
__

_**May 8, 1998**_

Hermione knocked on the front door of the Burrow, a smile spreading wide across her face and her heart pounding fast. In a few moments, she'd see him... she'd see Ron. What would he say? What would he think of her ditching everything for him? She shuffled her feet nervously as her stomach fluttered. This was it. She was going to tell him everything, how she had felt for so many years...

The door swung open and Hermione gasped slightly, realizing how jumpy she really was. She smiled wide at Mrs. Weasley's stunned face.

"Hermione?!"

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said through her grin.

"What... what are you doing back so early, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice shaky.

"Well," Hermione began, the look of panic on Mrs. Weasley's face now starting to worry her. "I'm back for good. I left everybody in France. I just... couldn't do it, couldn't be away from-"

Mrs. Weasley covered her mouth with her hands and Hermione stopped speaking abruptly.

"What is it?" Hermione asked as she stepped forward, concerned.

"Oh dear... oh dear..." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Come in, Hermione." Mrs. Weasley sighed heavily. "I've got something to tell you..."


	5. Eventually

**Chapter 5 - Eventually**

_**August 2, 1998**_

Ron marched down a corridor at the Ministry of Magic, a good twenty feet ahead of Harry and Ginny. His long legs carried him faster, but his anxiousness to find out if anyone had heard from Hermione was really what propelled him. Ginny had been keeping her fingers crossed all day that they would hear some news today other than... "we haven't heard" or "her team isn't supposed to have contact with us..."

Ron finally rounded the corner at the end of the corridor and found himself face to face with the wizard who sat behind the long desk that stood between the offices beyond and the lobby area.

"Sir," Ron said before he had even reached the counter. The man looked wary, clearly already sensing what Ron had come to ask him.

"How can I help you?" he asked in a bored sort of voice.

"I'm here about Hermione Granger," Ron said. Ginny and Harry finally caught up with Ron and came around the corner to stand behind him.

"Of course you are," the man answered, nodding, his tone sarcastic.

"Please," Ron started. "Have you heard anything?"

"No, I'm sorry," the man said dismissively.

"Look," Ginny said, stepping up to the desk now. "How much trouble would it really be just to double check? It's important."

The man regarded her for a moment, his eyes narrowed.

"Fine," he said as he stood from his desk. "But I can tell you right now, no one has heard anything. I would know. And besides, as I've told you before-"

"-they aren't supposed to have contact with anyone," Ron finished, sighing. "We know all that. Please... just in case something's happened, I need to know."

The man nodded.

"Yes, yes, alright," and he left them.

"Git," Harry muttered. Ron couldn't help but grin slightly at Harry.

_**May 8, 1998**_

__"Mrs. Weasley, please," Hermione begged as she followed Mrs. Weasley into the Burrow. "What's going on? Where's Ron?" Hermione voice was shrill and nervous and Mrs. Weasley's eyes began to water.

"Hermione... oh..." Mrs. Weasley sighed. "They've left."

Hermione paused for a moment, confused.

"What do you mean they've left?"

"Ron, Ginny and Harry. They've gone on holiday." Mrs. Weasley dropped into an arm chair looking distraught.

"On holiday where?" Hermione asked as she sat on the couch next to the arm chair.

"Oh, I don't know why I let them do it!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "They didn't tell anyone where they were going! They didn't quite know themselves. Ron wanted to get away. He was so upset when you left, Hermione."

Hermione felt a lurch of guilt in her stomach at Mrs. Weasley's words.

"He said they didn't want to tell us where they were going, and I let them go!"

Hermione swallowed hard. Her eyes were burning slightly but she took a deep breath.

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley," she began. "We'll find them."

Mrs. Weasley nodded sadly at Hermione.

"How long did they say they'd be gone?"

"Ron said at least a month or two..." Hermione's eyes widened and Mrs. Weasley looked down at her hands in her lap. "And here you are, back so soon. If only Ron knew..."

"It's okay," Hermione said again, more to reassure herself on this. "I'll go to the Ministry and see if anyone has records of them using a Portkey or... or getting licenses to leave the country."

Mrs. Weasley nodded again.

"I'm so sorry, dear," she said sympathetically to Hermione. "You know you were welcome to stay here as long as you like to wait for them. You can take Ginny's room." Mrs. Weasley paused, then smiled slightly at Hermione. "Or Ron's if you can stand the mess."

Hermione smiled at Mrs. Weasley's joke.

"Thank you," she said as she stood from the couch. "I really appreciate it."

Mrs. Weasley stood as well.

"I need to be off to the Ministry," Hermione said with determination. "I think it's the best place to start looking."

Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"I'll ask Arthur to look into it as well. He knows a lot of people and if something can be tracked down, he'll know who to talk to. In fact," Mrs. Weasley added, "he's probably in his office now if you'd like to go and see him."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "I think I will."

_**May 7, 1998**_

Harry rolled over in his bed. He couldn't sleep. Muffled sobs could be heard through the wall that separated the bedroom he had taken in the cabin from the one Ron had chosen.

The sounds coming through the wall were broken by a soft knock on Harry's bedroom door.

"Yeah?" he whispered in a scratchy voice. The door opened and Ginny stood on the other side in her night dress.

"Harry," she whispered sleepily, moving closer to his bed. "Do you hear him?"

"'Course," Harry answered as he sat up in bed. "Can't help it. Don't think he knows we can hear though."

"No," Ginny agreed, yawning as she sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "The walls here are paper thin. I can even hear it when you open a drawer in here."

Harry gave her a half-smile.

"What should we do?" he said, looking seriously at her.

"Ron wants to go to the Ministry in the morning, did he tell you?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, he did," Harry answered. "I think it's a good idea."

"Do you?" Ginny asked skeptically. "What do you think we'll actually find out? Hermione said they couldn't be contacted once she left the country. I doubt anyone has heard from her or her team. It's just going to make things worse for him to be let down again."

"I dunno," Harry shrugged. "Gives him something to do, a plan."

"I guess so," Ginny said hesitantly.

They both sat silently on Harry's bed, but after a moment, another stifled sob could be heard through the wall.

"I'm going in there," Harry said finally as he got up off the bed.

"Harry," Ginny started, following Harry into the hallway. "Wait..."

"I can't take this," Harry whispered urgently, turning towards her once they were both out in the hallway. "It's so awful to hear him like this. I had no idea... I mean I knew he loved her... but..."

"It's really killing him," Ginny sighed.

"A year is a long time," Harry admitted.

"We made it," Ginny said with a smile. Harry returned her smile and nodded.

Then he reached for Ron's door knob and turned it very slowly, trying not to make a sound. The door was unlocked and clicked open easily. Harry pushed it forward and heard the sound of quick movement from inside the room just as the door swung open.

"Ron?" Harry called in a whisper into the dark room. Ron was lying on his bed, his back facing the door. Harry approached him slowly. "Ron."

Ron pretended to be asleep and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ron, we know you're not asleep. We heard you."

"Go back to bed, Harry," Ron mumbled.

"Nope," Harry said as he sat down on the edge of Ron's bed. The bed bounced slightly when Harry's weight pressed into the mattress.

Ron pulled his blanket up to his chest and rolled onto his stomach, still facing away from Harry.

"What do you want?" Ron asked in a rough voice.

"Ron, Hermione's-"

Ron suddenly twisted in his bed to face Harry, a startled and somewhat angry expression on his face.

"Don't say her name!" he shouted.

"What?" Harry asked, confused. "Why not?"

"Just... don't! Okay?"

Harry glanced over at Ginny.

"Fine," he said to Ron finally, and Ron allowed his head to fall back onto his pillow softly, then turned his eyes away from Harry again. "I was just going to say that the unnamed _girl _that we're here because of is coming back. She hasn't left for good, you know. I know that doesn't really help. But..." Harry trailed off, not sure what else to say.

A long silence filled the room and Ginny sat on the edge of the bed next to Harry, also facing Ron.

"I'm sorry," Ron mumbled. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"What do you think is going to happen, Ron?" Ginny asked. "When she comes back I mean?"

"Dunno. Don't worry about it. Go back to bed. I didn't... didn't know I was disturbing you."

"You weren't," Ginny said softly.

"Yeah, well... I'm fine... I'll _be _fine... eventually."

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances before standing.

"Look, mate," Harry began again. "If you want to talk or... whatever... just... you know, come by and tell me."

"Right," Ron said with a sigh as he turned back onto his side. Harry and Ginny headed towards the door, but just as they were about to walk out into the hallway, Ron called to them. "Harry, Gin?"

"Yeah?" they answered in unison.

"Thanks for, you know, caring and all that..." Ron waved his hand through the air.

Ginny smiled and Harry nodded.

"'Course," Harry said as he closed the door.

Harry and Ginny remained outside Ron's door for a few more minutes, silently waiting and listening to make sure that Ron was really alright. Then, after a kiss goodnight, they both returned to their rooms, both feeling terribly sorry for Ron.


	6. Fireflies

**Chapter 6 - Fireflies****  
**_**  
May 9, 1998**_

Hermione couldn't sleep. She pulled Ron's Chudley Cannons blanket up further over her, breathing in deeply. She had decided immediately to take his room over Ginny's at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley had not seemed surprised when Hermione had moved her trunk under Ron's desk. Hermione had spent most of the evening after dinner cleaning up the room. Nothing had gone well at the Ministry over the past two days. Apparently, whatever way Ron, Harry, and Ginny had traveled, they had not used a Portkey or registered for Apparition licenses to leave the country.

Hermione felt like she was at a dead end, but she wasn't even close to giving up. Mr. Weasley had offered to help and had been asking around at the Ministry, checking to see if anyone had heard from them. But other than going out on her own to blindly search all of England for them, Hermione wasn't sure what to do.

She felt her eyes begin to water as she stared up at Ron's slanted ceiling, the moonlight from the open window casting a glow over the bright Chudley Cannons posters that were stuck there, players darting around silently on the posters, their robes trailing out behind them.

Hermione blinked and tears spilled from her eyes. _So stupid_, she thought, shaking her head. _If only I hadn't left at all..._ She tried to imagine where Ron might be, tried to picture him in a bed, staring up at the ceiling above wherever he was staying now. Maybe he was in a tent... Hermione closed her eyes and a khaki canvas tent ceiling swam behind her eyelids. Or a cabin... a dark wood ceiling replaced the canvas one. Or an inn... a taller stone ceiling drifted in over the last one.

She cracked her eyes open again and was once more staring up into the faces of the Quidditch players that lined Ron's ceiling and walls. She sat up in bed, wiping at her eyes. It was no use. She just wasn't going to fall asleep. So she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slipped her feet into her shoes, then stood and pulled her cloak on over her night gown. She stared forward at the open window for a moment before heading towards the door...

*******************************************************

Ron stared up at the light wood cabin ceiling, his eyes focusing on the wood grain and following its pattern absentmindedly. He couldn't sleep. Where was Hermione? What was she doing right now? He figured she was tucked in bed, sleeping soundly, happily dreaming of what was to come wherever she was... He shook his head, angry at himself for feeling this resentment towards her. She didn't owe him anything... did she? What had he ever promised her? For all he knew, she still thought he only wanted to be her friend. But she had kissed him... twice. It was his turn now, his turn to do something, to show her how he felt, because he couldn't expect her to read his mind, could he...

He swore softly to himself, rolling over onto his side in the bed. He wondered if she had any idea what he felt for her. He wondered if she would have stayed if he had told her how he felt, but he shook his head again. He had done the right thing, he reminded himself. It was too late to tell her by the time he knew she was going, too late to lay all of his feelings on her like that. She didn't have time to make a choice, to think it through, and maybe that's why he sometimes felt so bitter about the whole thing. She hadn't given him enough time.

He sat up in bed, giving up on the idea of sleeping. He slipped on his shoes and headed for his bedroom door...

*******************************************************

Hermione stood on the front steps at the Burrow, looking out at the grass and gardens beyond and next to the house. Everything was lit by a bright full moon and a multitude of stars. It was really rather beautiful here at night, she thought, looking up into the sky. And then she noticed a flicker of light to her left. She turned her head towards the light, but it was gone. She paused, staring over into the garden, then suddenly, several flickers all lit up the path at once and she smiled. Fireflies.

She stepped down off the stairs and headed into the garden towards them. As she came around the corner of the house, she gasped. Hundreds of fireflies danced in the dark garden, moving around one another, soaring higher then lower, some skimming the grass, others floating through the leaves of the bushes along the side of the house. She headed down the path, staring at the scene before her with wide eyes. She had never seen so many fireflies at the same time before. It was almost... like magic.

She came to a soft spot in the dry grass and sat down, then stretched out onto her back and stared up at the beautiful golden flickers of light as they danced over her head. She turned her head to the left, following a group of fireflies that seemed to be moving together, and as they flashed, if she squinted her eyes to her left, she could almost imagine... she remembered...

_Hermione's eyes cracked open, her head turned towards the left. A lantern was lit on the bedside table casting a golden glow around her._

_"Ron," Hermione croaked as she made out his ginger hair against the stark white pillow in the bed next to her own. She tried to sit up, but quickly realized that her body was so weak that it was pointless to attempt to move. Her legs felt unattached to her body, limp, useless. "Ron," Hermione attempted again, though her voice was so scratchy and hoarse that she assumed he wouldn't possibly be able to hear her. But just as she was about to try to sit up again, he turned towards her._

_"Hermione?" he groaned as his eyes cracked open. She could just make out his face as he turned towards the lantern between their beds. When his eyes landed on her open ones, his own eyes widened and he pushed against his pillow quickly, wincing as his arms pressed into his mattress. "You're awake!"_

_"Ron, what's going on? Are you okay?"_

_Ron nodded as he pulled his legs over the edge of his bed._

_"You've been out for a while. Do you need me to get Madame Pomfrey?"_

_Hermione blinked, finally becoming aware of exactly where she was. The hospital wing. Hogwarts. They had made it back from the Department of Mysteries... but what had happened?_

_"Ron, where's Harry?" Hermione asked in a scratchy whisper as Ron pushed himself to his feet, wincing again._

_"Harry's okay. Madame Pomfrey told... me..." Ron braced himself against the night table as he pulled himself towards Hermione's bed._

_"Ron..." Hermione seemed to just realize what Ron was trying to do. Her eyes widened. "What are you doing?! You shouldn't be out of bed!"_

_Ron managed a slight grin as he reached out for the wall to steady himself._

_"You sound just like Madame Pomfrey."_

_"Well, she's right..." Hermione said, but she broke into a cough at the last second._

_"Don't talk too much," Ron advised as he finally reached the edge of her bed. "You mind if I sit down? That was a long walk." He grinned down at her and she nodded slightly as her coughing ceased. "Thanks." Ron sat on the edge of Hermione's bed, staring down at her._

_Hermione felt her cheeks heating up slightly at Ron's proximity, but she was distracted suddenly by the deep red welts all over Ron's forearms._

_"Ron!" she exclaimed, staring at his arms. "What-" but he saw quickly where she was looking and attempted to pull his sleeves down over his arms._

_"Nothing, it's-"_

_"It's not nothing! What happened?" Hermione moved her arm carefully towards him, trying to stop him from hiding the marks, but he moved his arms away from her._

_"It'll be fine. Madame Pomfrey's given me some stuff for it..."_

_"Ron..." Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she tried to take a deep breath. A slicing pain ripped through her chest. Everything was wrong. Ron was hurt, and from what she could tell, it wasn't 'nothing'. And she remembered the curse that had been directed right at her chest, the pain as she had fallen to the ground... Any one of them could have died..._

_"Hey, it's alright," Ron said, looking slightly uncomfortable at Hermione's unshed tears and trembling lips. "Honestly. Harry's alright, you're awake now, and I'm fine, okay?"_

_"You could have died, Ron!" Hermione whispered, her voice very unsteady. Ron looked down at the sheet on Hermione's bed, his face reddening slightly._

_"Just me?" he said in a very small voice. Hermione stared at him for a moment, confused._

_"What do you mean just you?" Her head felt heavy and her chest was so sore... she was having trouble staying focused._

_"Nothing," Ron said dismissively. "Anyway, _none_ of us died, right?"_

_Hermione's brain raced as she tried to figure out what Ron had meant. Something had just happened, something that she was sure was important, but she couldn't figure it out! And then it hit her. She hadn't said 'we could have died' or 'you and Harry could have died'... her pain, her tears... they had been for Ron. 'You could have died, Ron,' she had said. And he'd wondered, maybe, if what she had said, her concern, had really been just for him... and the way he had reacted to her words... he hadn't dismissed it completely, hadn't ignored it... he had held onto her words for some reason... why could that be? Why would he have blushed if he didn't hope... if he didn't feel..._

_"You should go back to sleep," Ron said softly, looking concerned. "Really, you were knocked out pretty bad."_

_Hermione swallowed and felt her chest rise with her next breath. It was painful, too painful for Ron not to notice..._

_"Does it still hurt?" he asked, his eyes soft. "I'll get Madame Pomfrey. She's been putting something on you..." he trailed off, blushing again. This time Hermione blushed too, thinking of Ron waking up and seeing Madame Pomfrey putting something on her chest... her bare chest. "I uh, I know because she told me when I asked her how you were, that's all," Ron said, and Hermione felt her lips threatening to move upwards into a smile at his embarrassment._

_"It's okay," Hermione whispered. "You shouldn't be out of bed. She'll come back to check on us soon enough."_

_"But-"_

_"I'm okay," Hermione said, smiling to reassure him. He nodded and stood carefully from the edge of the bed. "Ron," Hermione called after his retreating back._

_"Yeah?" He turned to look over his shoulder at her._

_"Thanks for checking up on me," Hermione said in a small voice._

_"'Course," Ron said, though his cheeks were pink again. "I was worried about you, you know." Hermione might not have heard his last sentence if he had been even a foot further along towards his bed, but she did hear him, and as he lowered himself back into his own bed, she felt a smile forming of its own accord across her face. He really cared about her... not that she was completely surprised... but this was different somehow. Maybe everything was really changing. Maybe... but before she could think anymore about it, her eyes had closed and she was drifting off to sleep once more..._

Hermione's eyelids fluttered as a gentle breeze tickled her skin. She had fallen asleep in the garden, the fireflies still twinkling above her in her dreams...

*******************************************************

Ron headed down the back steps of the cabin and onto the sandy path that led around to the side of the cabin. There was a spot there between two bushes where he could sit and be totally alone. It was dark enough that no one would be able to see him from far away, but he could still see the stars overhead if he sat right in between the bushes, facing away from the cabin.

But just as he was lowering himself to the ground, his eyes landed on something... something flickering. Fireflies. And not just several... forty, fifty... maybe a hundred even! They had congregated in the bushes on either side of Ron's spot, and as he leaned back against the cabin wall, he found himself surrounded by them.

"Blimey," he said softly. "Never seen so many..." He reached out and cupped his hand over one of them, closing his fingers around it. He felt the bug crawling over his palm as he opened his hand very slightly to look down at it. It flashed, then moved towards the opening in Ron's fingers. It flashed again, then took off to join its mates in flight through the bushes.

He was suddenly reminded of the lake at Hogwarts as he stared into the bush to his right. A dark puddle under the bush was illuminated by the moon light overhead.

Ron leaned his head against the cabin wall and stared down at the water, his eyes burning slightly from several days of crying... but he could almost pretend... he remembered...

_"Ron!" Hermione called harshly down at him as he started down the front stairs of the castle. "Honestly," she mumbled, but he heard her and grinned, his back still towards her._

_"You coming or not, Hermione?" he whispered playfully as he reached the bottom of the stairs._

_"Do you have any idea how much trouble-"_

_"We're prefects, Hermione," Ron reminded her as he turned and stared back up the stairs at her, noticing with amusement that she was coming down the stairs, despite her tirade moments earlier about how they really shouldn't be going outside the castle after curfew..._

_"That's exactly my point!" Hermione hissed as she reached the second to last step, her face now almost level with Ron's. "We're supposed to be setting an example!"_

_"But we also have a duty to protect the school, don't we," Ron said, still grinning. "And this terrible racket… well, it could keep everyone up, they'd get sick from lack of sleep, and it would be all our fault for not locating the source of the problem." Hermione rolled her eyes._

_"That's just an excuse to-"_

_But the sound of an owl hooting shrilly interrupted Hermione's retort._

_"Pig!" Ron whispered loudly._

_"Ron," Hermione began as she followed him down onto the grass and out onto the grounds. "Are you sure it's him?"_

_"I've never heard another owl make a sound that ridiculous, have you?" Ron joked as he continued down the slope towards the lake._

_Hermione followed him silently, both of them listening for the sound of the owl again to be sure they were headed in the proper direction. But as they reached the edge of the moonlit lake, Ron stopped and knelt in the grass in front of what looked like a large fur ball._

_"Blimey," Ron said, shaking his head and chuckling as Pig hooted again loudly. "He's going to wake the whole school even from all the way down here."_

_Hermione came up behind Ron and stared down at the owl in front of the lake. It was Pig alright. He stretched his wings, then batted them furiously around and turned on the spot, happily darting here and there on the ground. He hooted again and Ron flinched._

_"Shut up, Pig!" Ron demanded. "Get up to the owlery like all the other owls, won't you? You're going to get us into trouble." Ron scooped up the owl and turned around, still kneeling on the ground, to look up at Hermione. She was standing over him, her hands on her hips, staring back down at him._

_Ron swallowed as he felt his stomach lurch delightfully. She was so close to him and looking down at him with those big brown eyes, her hair wild and flowing in the wind. Ron didn't think he could move, didn't want to anyway, as he stared up at her. But she broke the silence by huffing._

_"Right, so we've got him. Now let's get back inside the castle before someone finds out."_

_But Ron was speechless, captivated by her. The last thing he wanted to do was to go inside the castle. After a moment's pause, Hermione knelt down next to him and he felt his heart speeding up. Her knee pressed into his and he blinked several times, trying to ignore it._

_"He's really rather cute, isn't he," Hermione said, but she wasn't looking at Pig. Ron's eyes would not move away from hers, even as his cheeks burned, his ears rapidly heating up as well._

_"Ah..." Ron managed. But Hermione broke the eye contact finally to look down at the little owl in Ron's palm. "Yeah," Ron choked out. "I guess he is. But he's... a ruddy nuisance as well."_

_Hermione smiled and ruffled the owl's feathers. When she looked back up at Ron, she didn't meet his eyes, and he saw her flushed cheeks, her nervous smile... what was she thinking?_

_"Hermione..." he started, but then he realized that he had no idea what he was about say. He couldn't... his palms were beginning to sweat... his heart was pounding in his chest... his fingers were even beginning to tremble._

_"Yes?" she whispered, still not meeting his eyes, but he could tell she was waiting for something... for what?_

_And then Pig hooted. Ron and Hermione both flinched._

_"What?!" Ron yelled down at the owl. "What the hell do you want?"_

_"Ron!" Hermione scolded, but she giggled slightly._

_"Okay, back up to the castle then," Ron said as he stood on shaky legs._

_"If we take him up to the owlery, do you really think he'll keep it down?" Hermione looked up at Ron._

_"Dunno," Ron said. He looked down at Hermione, then reached out an unsteady hand to help her up. She took it with a mumbled "thanks," her eyes still turned away from his. He felt his pulse quicken again as her soft fingers curled around the back of his hand. And then she was standing... but his hand... she hadn't let go..._

_Ron swallowed hard again. He felt his mind race through a long list of things he could say... but which one? But before he could land on something, she had dropped his hand. 'I love you,' he thought as he stared at her. He forced his eyes away from her and looked down at the owl in his palm. What if he had said it? What if he had told her?! He breathed in and out heavily and quickly. He had to force himself to think of something else before she noticed... but Hermione moved away from him, heading back up the slope towards the castle._

_"Are you coming?" she called after a moment. Ron looked up at her where she stood several feet up the slope. He shook his head slightly, snapping out of his daze a bit._

_"Yeah," he replied, and his legs began to carry him back up the hill after Hermione. She smiled at him and he returned it. They looked away from each other and neither one spoke a word for the rest of the walk up to the front entrance..._

Ron's hand was clenched in the grass next to his leg, but his eyes were shut. He slept peacefully on through the night against the cabin wall, the salty sea air blowing gently around him, fireflies surrounding him in the bushes as he dreamed.


	7. Getting There

**Chapter 7 - Getting There**

_**September 1, 1998**_

"Are you coming or not?" Ron called impatiently down the hall of the cabin.

"Yes!" Ginny called back as she appeared at the end of the hallway looking a bit flustered. "For Merlin's sake, Ron..." She shook her head as she walked towards him.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked, peering over Ginny's shoulder.

"He's getting his money bag," Ginny sighed.

"What for?" Ron shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Would you calm down?" said Ginny exasperatedly. "We'll have to buy some food, won't we. You've eaten everything in the cabin."

Ron scowled at his sister before looking away from her to glance at his watch.

"Coming," came Harry's voice from the other end of the hall. He nearly jogged the distance from his room to the living room where Ron and Ginny stood waiting for him.

"Right then," Ron said. "Finally." Ginny rolled her eyes at Ron and took Harry's hand.

* * *

"Of course they haven't heard anything!" Ron shouted sarcastically, throwing his arms up in the air. They had just been for their monthly visit to the Ministry, only to discover that, once again, no one knew anything about Hermione's team. "I mean, really..." Ron glared angrily forward as they made their way towards the visitor's exit. But just as they were approaching, a short balding man smiled and waved over at them. "Who's he?" Ron mumbled out of the corner of his mouth as the man approached them. Ginny shrugged.

"I think I've seen him before," Harry whispered as the man reached them.

"Hello!" he said merrily. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes on Ron.

"Yes," Ron answered apprehensively.

"Oh!" the man said happily. "And you are as well I reckon?" He was looking at Ginny now.

"Yes, I am," she answered with a nod. Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at the man for a moment, confused.

"Oh! I suppose I should introduce myself," he said, shaking his head at their perplexed expressions. "I'm Bill Baker. I work one department over from your father, Arthur. Still part of the Muggle protection wing though." He smiled at them all. "Arthur talks about you lot all the time. Haven't seen him in a while though. Going down soon to see him in fact..." Bill's mind seemed to be wandering. Ron gave Harry an amused half-smile.

"Mr. Baker," Ginny started in a friendly voice. "It's very nice to meet you, but we're sort of in a hurry..."

"Oh, yes, sure," he said, nodding. "Won't keep you then."

"Do you think you could let our father know that we're doing alright? We're actually on holiday and haven't spoken to him in a bit..." Ginny gave Ron a strange look and he furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, sure," said Mr. Baker, looking slightly puzzled. "I'll let him know."

"Thank you," Ginny said with a nod.

"Hang on," Mr. Baker started, just noticing Harry. His eyes widened. "Harry Potter..." he said in a reverent voice. Harry flushed slightly, but smiled.

"Yes, sir," Harry said politely.

"Well, what do you know," Mr. Baker said, smiling. He reached out and shook Harry's hand. "It's a real honor, a great pleasure..." Mr. Baker finally dropped Harry's hand and Ginny took Harry's now free hand in her own.

"Thanks, Mr. Baker," she said with a wave as she led Ron and Harry away from him.

"Yes, yes," he said distractedly as he watched them go.

* * *

When they finally returned to the cabin, Ron turned to Ginny.

"What were you on about with Mr. Baker?" Ron asked, looking slightly defensive.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she dropped her handbag into an arm chair.

"You told him we hadn't spoken to Dad in a while, then sort of narrowed your eyes at me."

"Well, what do you think, Ron?" Ginny said, looking a bit tired. "We've been here all this time because you don't want to go back-"

"That's not fair," Ron cut in, though his voice was low and soft. Ginny sighed.

"I know, you've told us we can leave you," Ginny said. "But you know we can't. I don't think you should be alone..."

"Ginny, I'm not dangerous. I haven't got some self-destructive plans up my sleeve. And I haven't gone completely loopy. You and Harry don't need to watch after me like some sort of invalid..."

Ginny shook her head.

"It's not like that, Ron."

"Sure," Ron said in a dismissive way. "Look, I think I'll go for a walk. Maybe you two should discuss what you plan to do. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't return to the Burrow. I'll be just fine here on my own."

But Harry finally spoke up.

"Ron, this isn't just about you. It's been so wonderful to get away after all we've been through. I'm not especially looking forward to starting the next chapter of our lives either. But we should start to think about what our next move is going to be. We can't stay here all year..."

"Why not?" Ron asked, his eyes on the carpet in front of him. Harry didn't answer...

_**

* * *

**_

Bill Baker whistled as he walked down the hallway towards Arthur Weasley's department. He spotted Mr. Weasley all the way down the hall and called to him.

"Arthur!" Mr. Weasley turned to see who was addressing him.

"Ah, Bill," Mr. Weasley said with a kind smile. "Nice to see you."

"And you," said Bill as he approached Mr. Weasley. "I've got a report for you to review."

"Excellent," said Mr. Weasley as Bill handed him the report.

"I'm in a bit of a rush I'm afraid," said Bill, "but I knew you needed this on the double."

"Yes, thanks, Bill," said Mr. Weasley as he turned to head back into his own office. But Bill suddenly called out to him..

"Oh! Arthur!"

Mr. Weasley turned back around.

"Meant to tell you," said Bill. "Your son and daughter and Harry Potter were here two days ago. Lovely young people..." But Mr. Weasley's eyes had widened and his hand had clenched, the report wrinkling slightly. "Arthur?" Bill inquired, looking concerned. "You alright?"

"Where? When?" Mr. Weasley said urgently. "Tell me exactly where they were. Did they say where they were staying, where they were going?"

"Now hold on, Arther," Bill said quickly, getting a little flustered. "What's all this? They were fine, said they had been on holiday and that I should tell you that they were doing just fine. Nothing's happened to them." But Mr. Weasley waved Bill off.

"No, no," he began, "that's not the problem." Mr. Weasley sighed. "There's a young girl, a friend of my son's... she's staying with us. It's a long story but she needs to find out where he is. No one knows where they've gone you see. They wanted to go off on their own and have a little holiday after... well, after last year."

Bill nodded, understanding.

"Listen, Bill, did they say anything else, anything that might give us a hint as to where they are now?" Mr. Weasley asked hopefully, but Bill shook his head.

"I hardly said two words to them. They were in a rush."

Mr. Weasley nodded sadly.

"Right, well can you do me a favour?"

"Sure," Bill said, nodding.

"If you happen to see them again, tell them that there's some urgent news and that they need to come and see me. You can even say the name 'Hermione' if you remember it. That'll get my son down here in a flash."

"Will do," Bill said.

"Thank you," Mr. Weasley said with a sigh.

* * *

Mr. Weasley returned home that night to find Hermione sitting on the couch by the fire, staring off into the distance. He sighed as he approached her. He had been excited to tell her that Ron was alright, that all three of them were. But now... it was all just so unfair. What were the chances that Ron would return to the Ministry any time soon? But then maybe he had been thinking of coming home. Mr. Weasley had asked around, but no one seemed to have seen him or Ginny or Harry.

"Mr. Weasley," Hermione said, looking up at him from her spot on the couch.

"Oh," Mr. Weasley said, snapping out of his daze. "Hermione." He sat on the couch next to her.

Hermione studied him carefully as he stared into the fire, wondering if she should ask him what was on his mind. He seemed distracted by something. But before she had decided whether or not to mention it, he spoke.

"Hermione," he began, "a co-worker came up to me today at work... told me something very interesting..." Mr. Weasley trailed off.

"Yes?" Hermione asked curiously, her heart beating faster for some unknown reason...

"Ron, Ginny and Harry came by two days ago."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears began to fall of their own accord down her face.

"Where?" she breathed. "Where are they?!"

"That's just it, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said with a sigh. "They didn't say."

Hermione blinked but said nothing for a moment... then suddenly...

"But... but we can ask around! Surely someone has seen them, knows where they are or... or how to contact them!"

"I've spoken to several departments already. Not knowing exactly what they were there for, it's hard to say which department they were in and who they might have spoken to. My co-worker who spotted them saw them on their way out near the visitor's entrance."

Hermione closed her eyes, allowing several more tears to roll down her face.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley said, his eyes softening at the look of despair on Hermione's face. "I'm going to alert everyone I can. If they come back to the Ministry, we'll know about it. Someone will tell them to see me and I'll tell them you're here. Ron will come running back the moment he hears."

Hermione nodded and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "You're right."

"No need to apologize," said Mr. Weasley as he stood from the couch. "Would you like a cup of tea? I think I'll make some."

"Yes, thank you," Hermione said, attempting a smile.

_**September 19, 1998**_

Hermione had never been so surprised to find all the Weasleys in the kitchen when she'd come down for breakfast. They all smiled at her and led her to the center of the table. Mrs. Weasley had baked a cake. For breakfast. Hermione grinned, thinking how jealous Ron would be to know that she was about to have dessert for breakfast.

Her smile faded quickly though, as it always did, and was replaced by the fear and despair that she had been trying to push away for months now. She sat at the table and tried her best to enjoy her nineteenth birthday without the most important person in her life, without the person whom she most wanted to spend it...

* * *

Ron tied a final knot in the raft he had just finished making as Harry came out of the cabin onto the back porch.

"Are you done?" Harry asked, looking impressed.

"Not sure if it'll float," Ron chuckled. "But yeah, guess it's finished."

"Wow," Harry said as he walked around the raft, inspecting it. Ron had been working on building the raft out of straw, twigs, leaves, seaweed... anything he could find and tie together. It was big enough for at least two people to sit on and even had a small sail on one end made of an old t-shirt he had cut up.

"Only one way to test it," Ron said, grinning at Harry.

"Only if you promise you aren't going to kick me off of it and sail out to sea by yourself," Harry said with a grin. But Ron turned serious.

"Did Ginny talk to you about this?"

"She thinks you might be doing something really stupid," Harry admitted. "She's really worried about you."

"How many times have I got to tell her that I'm not that mental?" Ron said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I know you aren't," Harry said reassuringly.

"I made it for Hermione, you know," Ron said in a small voice as he looked down at the raft again.

"Oh," Harry said, not sure what else to say.

"It's her birthday today."

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding. "I remembered."

"I'm sort of out of galleons after... well..." Ron turned very red and Harry furrowed his eyebrows, confused. But Ron continued, so Harry didn't mention it... "Anyway, I didn't have money to buy her anything nice and I thought when she got back we could, I dunno, go on a holiday together."

"In that?" Harry said, grinning again. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Funny," he said, picking up the raft. "No, not in this, you prat."

Harry took the other end of the raft and together they headed down to the shore with it.

"I know it's not really much of anything," Ron continued, gesturing towards the raft, "but you know girls like stuff like that, stuff that you worked hard on for them..." Ron turned red again and Harry laughed.

"Do they?" he said. Ron dropped one of his hands from the raft and punched Harry in the arm. "Hey!" Harry shouted, still laughing...

Five minutes later, Ron and Harry were floating in the sea, sitting comfortably.

"I don't believe it..." Ron said, staring over the side of the raft at the water beneath them, his mouth slightly open in awe. "It actually works!"

A small amount of water splashed onto the raft as Harry and Ron drifted along the waves, but it was staying afloat.

"Yeah, this is pretty cool, Ron," Harry admitted.

Ron remained silent, still admiring his work. Finally, Harry spoke again.

"Ron," he began tentatively.

"Hmm?" Ron said distractedly.

"When _do _you plan to go home?"

Ron looked at Harry now, thinking hard about his answer. Finally...

"I... I don't know... soon."

"Soon?" Harry inquired, curiously.

"I think so, yeah," Ron admitted. Harry paused for a moment, considering Ron.

"Okay," Harry said finally, nodding.  
_**  
October 12, 1998**_

"Halloween on the beach," Ron said enthusiastically. "Then we're off! Soon..."

Ginny sighed.

"You've been saying 'soon' for the past month, Ron!" Ginny said exasperatedly.

"I know, I know..." Ron ran a hand through his hair. "But I mean it. Halloween, then I'll start getting ready."

"And how long will that take?" Ginny asked.

Ron shrugged and Ginny sighed again as Harry walked out onto the porch where Ron and Ginny were talking.

"Did I hear you say Halloween on the beach?" Harry asked, looking torn between Ginny's obvious lack of interest in staying that much longer and Ron's excitement over his plans.

"Yeah, you did," Ron started, "but as I've said a hundred times-"

"-we can leave any time we want," Harry finished for him, smiling. "I don't think Halloween's that much longer really."

"Right," said Ron, nodding. "Oh, and I've just been to the Ministry," Ron added. Harry and Ginny stared at him, shocked.

"Without us?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, didn't want to bother you with it again," Ron admitted. But Harry and Ginny exchanged a slightly hurt glance that Ron noticed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ginny said after a moment. "What did they say?"

"What do you think they said?" Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah..." Ginny trailed off, looking down at her feet.

"Oh, but someone told me to see Dad. Apparently his friend, Mr. Baker, remember him?" Ginny and Harry nodded. "Well, he told Dad he'd seen us and Dad wanted us to go down to see him next time we were in."

"Did you?" Ginny asked.

"No, passed by the department he works for. He was in a meeting or something. I told them not to bother telling him I'd come in. We'll be going home soon enough anyway."

Ginny and Harry both nodded.

_**November 20, 1998**_

On the morning of the 200th day, Ron packed his bag. It was time to go home.

Harry and Ginny joined Ron outside the cabin where they had been staying, and together they walked down to the beach to Apparate back to the Burrow.

"This is really it?" Ginny asked, smirking at Ron.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Getting pretty tired of having sand in my trainers."

"Me too," Harry agreed, smiling.

* * *

"Maybe someone at the Ministry will know more than they did last time. Maybe they'll know when she's coming back," Ron suggested hopefully after he appeared in the garden outside the Burrow next to Harry and Ginny.

"Maybe," Harry said, trying to sound positive.

Ginny gave Ron a small, sad smile. Ron had grown quite tired of seeing her look at him that way, so he looked quickly away, ready for the distraction of their return to the Burrow. His parents were sure to greet them enthusiastically, and he could catch up with them and the rest of his family as he tried to ignore the emptiness he felt.

When the reached the front door, Ron already heard his mother shrieking inside the house. She must have seen them coming. Ron grinned at Harry.

"You ready for this?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows. "She's going to smother you."

"I-" but Harry was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley flinging the door open wide and throwing herself at Ron. Mr. Weasley stood behind her, waiting his turn.

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley cried, hugging him tightly. When she pulled back, she was smiling broadly. "Oh, it's so wonderful that you're back dear. Finally!"

Ron smiled at his mother as tears threatened the corners of her eyes. He hugged his father briefly, then moved past his parents into the house. He could hear Harry being attacking by his mother behind him. When Harry had entered the house as well, Ron exchanged an eye roll with him, smiling and shaking his head. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were still standing in the doorway chatting and laughing.

"Come on," Ron said to Harry. "Let's take our stuff upstairs. This could last ages."

Harry nodded, but Mrs. Weasley caught sight of them heading for the stairs and called out to them.

"Ron! Wait just a minute..."

"Mum, we just want to take our stuff up," Ron said, ignoring his mother's protests as he continued up the stairs. "We'll be right back down! Honestly!"

Ron stomped up the stairs, Harry just behind him.

"She's gone mental," Ron said shaking his head as he reached the first landing.

As they reached the second landing, however, Ron slowed down, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Do you hear that?" he asked Harry, moving forward towards the closed bathroom door. The sound of rushing water could be heard on the other side. Someone was taking a shower.

"Who do you reckon that could be?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Dunno," Ron shrugged. "Hey!" he yelled through the bathroom door. "Who's in there? That you George?"

There was a gasp behind the door, followed by the sound of the faucet being shut off.

"Ron?" came a very tentative, very familiar voice.


	8. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 8 - Home Sweet Home**

Ron gasped, dropping his bag to the floor as Harry's eyes widened considerably.

"Hermione?!" Ron called back as he stared, stunned, at the closed door.

There was a series of fast shuffling noises behind the door before it burst open. Ron hardly got a look at Hermione before she threw herself onto him, her arms tightening around his neck. She was soaking wet and wearing only a thin white bath robe that had been very hastily tied shut.

Ron could barely comprehend what was happening as he dropped his bag to the floor and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and lifting her slightly off the floor. His clothes were getting wetter by the second, but he couldn't have cared less. He started to laugh as the shock of what was happening started to settle in, then he couldn't stop himself. He squeezed her even tighter as she half-laughed, half-cried into his neck, her wet hair dripping down her back and Ron's shoulders.

She finally seemed to realize what she had just done and pulled back from him, slightly embarrassed, but still smiling.

"Harry!" she exclaimed suddenly, glancing over at Harry where he stood next to Ron. She seemed to only just realize that Harry had even been there with them.

She beamed at Harry who was smirking back at her. Then she suddenly looked down at where her robe had nearly come open in the front. Blushing, she tightened it across her chest.

"I, uh, I'll just... change... clothes..." She averted her eyes from Ron's awestruck gaze.

"Right," Ron breathed through a huge grin.

"Sorry about... about that..." Hermione gestured briefly towards Ron but he shook his head, still smiling, as she turned and went back into the bathroom. The door closed with a soft click.

"Woah..." Ron let out a long shaky breath.

Harry laughed as he looked at Ron, then gave Ron a sly smile.

"That was... _interesting_..." Harry said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, shut up," Ron said through his plastered on grin.

They remained in the hallway for a moment, Ron still recovering from his encounter with Hermione moments before. Finally, Ron leaned in towards the door.

"Hermione," he called through the door through his smile, "we're going up to put our stuff down in my room."

Then, Ron picked up his bag and turned to head up the stairs. But before he had taken a single step, the door cracked open and Hermione peered around it at him nervously.

"Ron... um... you might not... well, I've sort of been..."

Ron stared in at her, confused, but still smiling.

"What?" he asked gently.

"Well, your mum sort of said I could stay in your room or Ginny's if I wanted to... so I just thought you should know that I've been... well, staying in yours." Hermione didn't quite meet Ron's eyes as she quickly added "I'm sorry. You weren't here to ask and I-"

"That's fine!" Ron said immediately. "I would have said yes if you'd been able to ask."

"Okay, thank you," Hermione said smiling again. She closed the door, disappearing back into the bathroom.

Ron's grin had managed to grow, if possible, even wider. Harry took note of this by tossing Ron another of his knowing smiles. Ron responded by rolling his eyes at Harry and heading up to his room.

When Ron opened his bedroom door however, his eyes widened.

"Blimey," he breathed, surveying the room. Harry came up behind him and looked around Ron to see what he was staring at.

"Wow," Harry said as he followed Ron inside.

The room was spotless. The bed was made up perfectly and every single surface was polished and clean. The window was open and the light orange curtains flowed gracefully in a cold breeze wafting in from outside. The floor had been swept and cleared and not a single thing seemed out of place. Everything was neatly stacked and organized.

"Well, it's certainly never looked like _this_," Harry said.

"Is this even my room?" Ron asked as he set down his bag on the rug in front of his bed. "Should have expected it I guess," Ron added with a chuckle as he thought about how clean Hermione always was. If she was going to stay in his room, she was obviously going to make some adjustments. Ron grinned again. But his grin quickly fell as something crossed his mind. Before he had a chance to voice his concern to Harry, Hermione appeared in the doorway. Ron smiled at her, but felt his heart sinking. He couldn't get rid of the question he had now...

"Hermione," he began, "how long have you been here exactly?"

Harry seemed to suddenly realize where Ron was going with this question. He stared forward at Hermione, silently waiting for her answer.

She looked away from Ron, and he immediately knew that he was not going to like what she was about to say. After a long pause, she spoke in a tiny voice...

"6 months..."

Ron's heart stopped.

"No," he said, shaking his head. His head began to pound and his eyes prickled. This was not happening...

Hermione let out a shaky sob as she stared at a spot on the wood floor between her and Ron.

"But... but you were gone! You left!" Ron roared suddenly.

"I know... and I came back. Ron, I couldn't do it!" Hermione cried, looking up at him now. "I was only gone for two days."

Ron's heart was beating so fast he could hear it.

"Hermione..." Ron closed his eyes for a second, then opened them to look into Hermione's. "I feel so bloody stupid!"

"Why?" Hermione asked, taking a step towards him. "You had no way of knowing that I'd come back early."

"If I had just owled home or... or come back sooner..."

Hermione said nothing, but stared up at Ron, her eyes full of tears.

"I'm so sorry..." he trailed off, his hands shaking slightly at the shock.

"Don't," Hermione said, stepping forward again, her eyes very wet. "It's alright."

But Ron looked away, cursing under his breath, and Hermione's eyes grew scared all of a sudden as a thought crossed her mind...

"Ron... what is it?" she asked in a small voice as Ron ran a shaky hand through his hair.

He turned back towards her.

"I just wish I could go back in time..."

Hermione swallowed and looked away from him. A terrifying thought crossed her mind at the way Ron had said his last words... He sounded as if he... regretted... something... and not just their missed time together...

"Whatever happened, it's okay. It's my fault. I ruined it," Hermione said quickly, more to convince herself that if her fears came true, she'd be okay... she would be. She _would_...

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, suddenly confused.

"It's just... I just thought that maybe..." Hermione stared up at Ron's puzzled face.

"You thought...?" Ron urged.

"That maybe you... sort of... moved on..."

"Huh?" Ron furrowed his eyebrows, clearly becoming even more confused by the second. But Harry laughed, catching on.

"She thought maybe you found another girl to pretend not to fancy," Harry said through a chuckle. Ron's face turned instantly red.

"Harry!" Hermione groaned.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Harry said, patting Ron on the back. "Shouldn't take long to set that one straight, tell her how wrong she has it." Harry passed Hermione, flashing her a grin, and left the room.

"Wanker," Ron said under his breath as Harry disappeared. Hermione tried to hide her smile.

Ron scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Did you really think... I mean..." Ron cleared his throat. "_Really_?" he asked, looking directly at Hermione this time. She nodded very hesitantly, but the corners of her mouth were turning up into a smile, and suddenly they were both laughing.

They grew silent and slightly awkward again after a moment. So Ron sat down on the edge of his bed, his elbows on his knees, the motions giving him a brief distraction. Hermione joined him, sitting a few feet away from him on his left. Ron stared down at the floor, very aware of Hermione's eyes on him.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," Ron admitted, his voice very small.

"I think I do actually..." Hermione said, her voice just as tiny. Ron smiled at her briefly before turning his eyes back to the rug on the floor in front of him.

"You know this is the longest we've ever been apart," Ron said thoughtfully.

"Yeah..."

"And I thought summers were bad." Ron sighed contentedly now that he it was all over. "I'm still really pissed off about this whole situation. It's just so bloody ironic."

"The fact that I've been here this whole time?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah! I mean, I was just wasting time waiting for you to come home. I thought if we could get away, me and Harry and Ginny, we could have a bit of a holiday and I'd get distracted. I mostly spent the whole time... well... I just really missed you," Ron finished, his face flushed.

"I didn't know what to do when I found out you were away," Hermione admitted. "I spent so much time trying to find you."

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Ron said sincerely, his eyes meeting hers. Hermione shrugged.

"You're here now," she said, smiling. "I can't really believe you are, but... you are!"

Ron grinned, chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

They smiled at each other for a moment before blushing and turning away.

"This is kind of strange," Ron said. "It's been so long since we've seen each other. I feel like I'm acting sort of odd."

Hermione laughed at Ron's directness.

"Maybe we just need to get used to each other again." She smiled at him. "Say something mean."

"Hey!" Ron yelled, looking a little hurt. "I'm not that big of a prat! ...am I?"

Hermione shook her head, still smiling.

"No, I was just teasing you."

"Good..." Ron smiled back.

They sat in slightly more comfortable silence than before for a moment, both content and happy for the first time in a very long while. Ron shifted on the bed to get more comfortable. He wasn't really sure what to do or say next. It had been 200 days since they'd last seen each other. He could hardly believe it. He smiled at Hermione again and watched as she bit her lip, then glanced away. He felt his face heating up. He wanted to get closer to her. Was he allowed to? Sure she had kissed him... twice. But it had been so long... And he'd never kissed her first. She had been the one both times to initiate it. It was still terrifying to imagine doing it himself...

Hermione shivered and Ron glanced at the open window across the room.

"Cold?" he asked.

"A bit," she admitted. Ron stood instantly and crossed the room to close the window. When he came back to the bed, Hermione was staring at him, her eyes a little watery.

"Better?" Ron asked as he sat next to her again. She nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess so," Hermione said, smiling.

"I smelled Mum's dinner on the way in."

"Yeah, I was going to head down after a shower, but then... well, you showed up," Hermione grinned at Ron and he grinned back.

"I... well," Ron scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't really want to go down there with everyone," he admitted finally. "I sort of want to... just... you know, spend time with just you."

To Ron's surprise, Hermione nodded quite seriously and bit her lip again.

"I have an idea," Ron announced before reaching bravely for Hermione's hand and standing. He pulled her up but did not let go of her hand. "Come on." He grinned again and led Hermione out of the room and down the stairs.

When they reached the kitchen, they found everyone else already there. They all stood around the table talking and laughing. Ron still didn't let go of Hermione's hand even though his heart was now pounding at double speed.

"Mum," he called and she turned, noticing him in the kitchen for the first time.

"Hello, dear," she said warmly. "Oh, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley stepped forward and hugged Hermione briefly. "I told you it would all work out, didn't I?"

Hermione smiled and looked away shyly.

"Ron, you have no idea what you put her through. She was so worried about you," Mrs. Weasley said, her own eyes watering through her huge smile.

"Really?" Ron asked, turning to look down at Hermione, but she didn't look back up at him. In fact, her cheeks were quite flushed and Ron was sure she was embarrassed, a sign that she really had been as worried as his mother had made it seem like. Ron felt a wave of delight wash over him at the thought of Hermione caring so deeply for him...

"So, got everything unpacked then have you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, changing the subject when she noticed the awkwardness that had started to settle between Ron and Hermione.

"Well, uh, sort of," Ron smiled and his mother shook her head.

"No, didn't think so," she said knowingly and Ron shrugged.

"Mum, I was wondering... would it be alright if... well, if me and Hermione took our food outside?"

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley smiled at Hermione. "Sure, dear. Let me just fix your plates..." and she headed to the counter where pot after pot of delicious looking food sat waiting to be served.

"Hermione!" Ginny called out as she approached Hermione and Ron.

"Ginny!"

Ron reluctantly dropped Hermione's hand as Ginny hugged her tightly.

"We really missed you," Ginny said as they pulled apart.

"Yeah, me too," Hermione smiled broadly at Ginny.

Mrs. Weasley returned with two heaping plates of food and silverware. She handed one to Ron and one to Hermione.

"There you are," she said. "Now you know it's pretty chilly out tonight. Picnics in November..." She shook her head. "Make sure you take cloaks out with you."

"We will," Ron said as he turned to leave. Hermione followed him out of the room and down the hall to the front door where their cloaks hung on the coat rack.

Ron took her plate and balanced it as she put on her cloak.

"We don't have to go outside if you'd rather not," Ron began, but Hermione shook her head.

"I think it's a great idea actually," and she took her plate back from Ron with a smile. Ron set his plate down and put on his own cloak, then followed Hermione out the front door.

"Where to?" she asked, looking around.

"Over here," and Ron led them towards the big oak tree that stood near the water. He sat on a large root, leaving plenty of room on his right for Hermione.

They ate in silence for a few moments, casting glances and soft smiles at each other every few seconds.

"So, my room looks different," Ron said, smiling. But Hermione blushed and looked down at her plate.

"Yeah, sorry..."

"What for?" Ron asked as he took another large bite of his roast.

"I felt a little guilty going through your stuff like that."

"Nah," Ron shook his head. "It's fine. You helped me out actually because if you had stayed in Ginny's room instead, Mum would make me clean it now that I'm back. So the work's already done for me, and a much better job than I would have done too. Thanks."

He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

"So why did you stay in my room anyway when you could have stayed in Ginny's?" Ron asked tentatively. Hermione blinked.

"Honestly?" She stared at him, hoping he'd get the implication that the answer to his question should have been obvious.

Ron shrugged.

"Ron..." Hermione looked down at her plate again and tried to interest herself in pushing her food around with her fork. Ron smiled slightly. He had a pretty good idea why Hermione had chosen to stay in his room. He had just wanted to see what she'd say, but he left it for now, knowing that Hermione wasn't likely to say anything else on the subject at the moment.

"So let's see..." he began, feigning concentration on what he was about to spell out. "Ginny'll be back in her room tonight. Harry will stay in Percy's old room most likely. Then you in mine..."

"But you're back now. I'll stay with Ginny. I was only borrowing your room, Ron."

Ron took another large bite of his food, not looking at Hermione.

"You could have it if you wanted it," Ron said, his tone indicating that he was serious but was masking it with humor... something Hermione was very familiar with.

"I think your room missed you," Hermione joked.

"Really?" Ron turned back to Hermione, grinning again. "I suppose I missed it as well."

They finished their plates and set them down in front of them on the ground. The sky had darkened considerably and a cold wind was lightly blowing through the tree behind them.

Hermione caught Ron staring at her after a moment and he blushed but didn't completely look away.

"Sorry..." he whispered. Hermione found herself shaking her head "no" very slightly, unable to look away from Ron either. "Blimey, I can't believe you're here," he said.

Hermione smiled. She began to scoot closer to him across the root, then leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes as she breathed in his scent. He could tell exactly what she was doing. He could hear her breathe in deeply and felt her nose against his shoulder. He felt his face and ears heat up and his heartbeat quicken as he sighed very softly, his eyes fluttering shut as well.

When Hermione leaned up again, their faces were even and only a few inches apart. Ron's eyes widened slightly as he realized exactly what he was about to do... if he could only find the courage. He closed his eyes tightly, breathing through his long nose.

"Ron, are you okay?" Hermione asked, slightly concerned. When he said nothing, she reached up to touch his cheek and his eyelids fluttered but did not open. "Ron...?"

"I'm just... working up the courage to do something..." he said softly, then finally, he opened his eyes to find a very confused, but... hopeful?... Hermione staring back at him.

He only had to lean forward a couple of inches. And then he was kissing her. His eyes shut again the moment his lips met hers. Their arms found their way around each other and they pulled each other closer, closer... but their positions on the root prevented them from getting as close as they would have liked. Ron's hand tangled in Hermione's hair and his fingertips danced down her back. And finally, needing air, they pulled back slightly from each other and opened their eyes.

Ron smiled, then laughed. Hermione joined in, blushing madly, but not caring.

Hermione reached up and touched Ron's shoulder, staring down at his shirt.

"I really soaked you didn't I," she said, grinning. Ron looked down at his shoulder. His shirt was still very wet from Hermione's hug when he had first arrived.

"A bit," Ron said through a laugh. He smiled at her, watching as her eyes darted down to his lips again. His eyes copied hers and he watched as she licked her lips involuntarily. They were both breathing heavily and Ron thought he could even hear Hermione's heartbeat. Their slightly parted lips were achingly close to each other's, so much so that their uneven breaths were mingling in between, their eyes closed halfway in a dazed sort of way, their chests rising and falling rapidly, their arms still around one another...

Ron's eyes darted to the front door of the Burrow which was in clear view from where they sat on the root.

"Maybe we should... uh, move," Ron suggested as Hermione's hand moved up his back and slightly under his shirt.

"Okay," Hermione breathed and they stood. Hermione took Ron's hand and began to lead him around the side of the house until they were right against the wall and slightly under the overhanging roof above. No windows were nearby so no one would be able to see them there.

"Good place," Ron said as Hermione pulled him closer, backing up against the wall. Hermione pulled him down and he dipped his head without thinking twice.

He kissed her deeply this time, holding her sides with his large hands, his palms pressed against her. She pulled him closer, and this time, in this position, they could get much closer than before, their bodies pressed right against each other.

Ron pulled away for a quick breath before kissing her again and bringing his right arm up above her head, pressing his arm against the wall. Hermione squeezed him closer again and he pressed her to the wall, his other hand moving around behind her head so that her head wouldn't be smashed against the hard wall.

At the sound of the front door opening, Ron pulled abruptly back away from Hermione. They both looked expectantly toward the corner that led around to the front door. It was Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You're going to stop just because _Harry_'s coming?" Hermione joked, smiling slyly at Ron.

"You don't want me to? Okay," Ron nodded, grinning at Hermione as he pushed her back against the wall and dropped his head.

"Ugh!" came Harry's voice from a few feet away. "Have some decency, will you?"

Ron pulled away from Hermione and glanced in Harry's direction, pretending to have just noticed him there.

"Oh! Hullo, Harry," Ron said in a cheery voice.

"Git," Harry muttered, rolling his eyes, but he was grinning at the pair of them slyly. "If you're _interested_..." Harry drawled, and Ron looked away to hide his grin, "your mum has dessert ready."

"Ah," Ron nodded. "I'm interested."

Harry shook his head and turned back around.

"The nerve," he called over his shoulder as he stalked away.

"Dessert?" Ron asked Hermione, grinning down at her. She ducked out of his arms and headed for the house, throwing a smile back over her shoulder at him as he jogged to catch up to her.

*******************************************************

After dessert, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione sat by the fire laughing and joking about their days at school together. Finally, Ginny yawned and stood up.

"Off to bed," she announced before glancing meaningfully in Harry's direction.

"I'm pretty tired too," Hermione admitted as Harry stood next to Ginny. So they all headed upstairs. Ginny stopped at her room, Harry stopped when he reached Percy's room on the next landing (though Ron knew Harry would be back down to Ginny's after Ron had disappeared), and Ron and Hermione went the rest of the way up to Ron's room.

"I guess I'll just collect what I need for tonight and I can get the rest in the morning. Is that alright?" Hermione asked as she bent to remove her pajamas from her trunk where it now sat under Ron's desk.

"Yeah, anything you like," Ron said, yawning and sitting on the edge of his bed. He leaned back against his pillow and watched as Hermione seemed to think hard about something. Then she sat on the edge of the bed. "You can stay if you want," Ron said before quickly adding "for a bit! I didn't mean... you know..." He blushed.

"Yeah, I knew what you meant," Hermione said. She stood and Ron wondered if she was going to leave, but she turned back to him. "I'm just going to change, then I'll be back."

"Okay," and Ron watched her go. Once her footsteps could no longer be heard, Ron got up and shut his door, then dressed for bed. He opened his door again and returned to his position lying on his back on the far right edge of his bed, leaving a large space open on the left side next to the wall. He wondered if Hermione would actually lie down next to him or if that was too much to hope for... either way, he wanted to make sure that she knew he was alright with it if she wanted to. He was much more than alright with it...

When she returned, she crawled up the bed, to Ron's delight, but instead of lying down next to Ron, she sat facing him with her back to the wall and her knees up to her chin. Ron yawned again and Hermione smiled.

"Tired?"

Ron nodded, smiling sleepily up at her. Then, out of nowhere, she turned and laid down on the bed right next to him. They both remained on their backs, silently breathing. Ron closed his eyes for a second, blissfully thinking of Hermione falling asleep in his bed and staying the night. But what he thought was just a second turned into...

**2 hours later...**

Ron opened his eyes. Instead of the usual emptiness he had felt every time he had woken up for the past 200 days, he felt... it couldn't be... he turned his head slightly to the left. Hermione! She was lying on her back... asleep... in his bed...

He remembered suddenly. He was in his room at the Burrow. He remembered her lying down next to him, how nervous and happy he had felt when she had done it, and then... nothing. He must have fallen asleep right away. But now here she was! She hadn't left!

He turned towards her, rolling onto his left side. He couldn't help watching her as she slept. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. And then he realized that he had probably never told her that before. No, most definitely not. He felt a little sorry that he hadn't and hoped, in a way, that she'd wake up because he felt certain that at that exact moment, he would be able to find the courage to tell her.

He blinked a few times, still hardly believing that he had come home to find her here... hardly believing his terrible luck at not knowing that she had been here all along, waiting for him at the same time that he had been waiting for her. He smiled, and just as he started to scoot closer towards Hermione, his legs brushing against hers under the blanket, she opened her eyes. For a moment, she seemed terribly confused and startled, but Ron could tell the exact moment when comprehension had dawned on her. Her eyes relaxed and stared back over into his softly, glittering slightly in the soft moonlight from the window as her eyes filled with moisture.

"Ron..." she breathed, reaching up to touch his cheek so gently that it almost tickled. It felt so wonderful that Ron's whole body broke out in goosebumps and his eyes fluttered shut blissfully. "You're here..."

He opened his eyes again and smiled at her.

"Never going away again... not without you at least," he whispered.

"Promise?" Hermione said, a smile forming wide across her face.

"Promise," Ron whispered back.

"Me too," she said, her fingers moving slightly against Ron's face. He swallowed. He felt like he might explode with happiness, relief, overwhelming love... He leaned up on his pillow slightly and hovered over Hermione. Then he crushed his lips down onto hers, his eyes shutting tightly as she moaned slightly, her lips parting against his.

When he pulled back, he was breathing heavily, but his eyes were still partially shut. But just then, an idea struck him and he opened his eyes all the way, staring at Hermione where she was lying contentedly inches away from him, her legs tangled with his.

"Come with me," he said as he started to sit up. Hermione opened her eyes all the way now too.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Just come with me, I want to show you something," Ron said as he sat all the way up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"Right now?" Hermione asked sleepily, though curiously.

"Well, yeah," Ron said as he stood and held out his hand towards Hermione. "If that's alright with you," he added, grinning. Hermione took his hand, returned his grin, and stood next to him. "Hold onto me," he instructed, and Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist. "Tighter," Ron said, squeezing her against him.

"Are you showing me how to hug properly?" Hermione joked, smiling against Ron's chest. Ron chuckled.

"Nope," he said. "You're already quite good at that. I should know after this afternoon..."

Hermione laughed against him.

"You ready?" Ron asked her.

"Well, as you haven't told me what we're doing, I wouldn't know how to answer that." Ron grinned again.

"Here we go," he said, and he turned on the spot, Disapparating them both with a pop.


End file.
